Comprehensive review on the benefits and physiological basis of yoga.
World journal of methodology June 20, 2026 Ajaya Kumar Ayyappan Unnithan
Yoga improves physical fitness, mental state, attention, processing speed, memory, cognitive functions, and executive functions. It reduces blood sugar, cholesterol, and hypertension in metabolic syndrome, slows age-related cardiovascular decline, improves cardiac performance, and enhances pulmonary function. Physiologic mechanisms include reduced stress and inflammation, increased gray matter volume, improved neural network flexibility, and reorganization of attentional networks. Yogic practices down-regulate the hypothalamopituitary adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system, enhance the inhibitory mediator gamma-aminobutyric acid, and increase peripheral oxytocin, serotonin, and melatonin levels.