A US study has looked into the benefits of Iyengar yoga for people at risk of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers at the University of Kansas Hospital have fund that as liitle as two one-hour yoga sessions a week can significantly reduce the number of episodes of atrial fibrillation (rapid, chaotic heart beat).

A study reported in Pain journal has found that among patients with chronic neck pain, those who practised Iyengar yoga (9 weekly classes of 90 minutes each) experienced significantly less pain, pain-related apprehension and disability compared to a control group of patients who took other forms of self-care/exercise

A Harvard Medical School study has found that yoga offers positive substantial benefits for people with chronic insomnia.

A study conducted in New York assigned schoolchildren with autism to either a 16-week yoga programme (yoga breathing, movement and relaxation) or control (standard morning routine).

 In ongoing research to identify the most effective help for post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) in US military personnel, a study published in the May/June issue of The American Journal of Occupational Therapy compared 'sensory-enhanced' hatha yoga with no treatment in 70 military personnel who had been deployed in Iraq.

Eighty-four women suffering from prenatal depression were randomly assigned to yoga, massage therapy or standard prenatal care control groups.

A study carried out in a Massachussets high school randomly divided 11th and 12th grade students into a yoga or regular physical education (PE) class for the duration of a school term

An article published in Spine journal has found that 12 weekly yoga classes for people with chronic or recurrent lower back pain (plus usual care) would be a cost-effective strategy for the National Health Service

A sytematic review of ten randomised controlled yoga trials found that yoga led to significantly greater reduction in pain of any kind compared to standard care, self care, therapeutic exercises, relaxing yoga, touch and manipulation, or no intervention.

A review of 11 studies into the effect of yoga on levels of fasting blood glucose among a mixture of diabetic patients, healthy volunteers and those at risk of diabetes, has found that 9 of the studies showed a significant decrease, indicating that yoga may be promising in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. (Role of Yoga in Preventing and Controlling Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, University of Cincinnati, Health and Education Program and Public Health Sciences).

Yoga is a more effective treatment for chronic lower back pain than conventional GP care, according to the UK’s largest ever study into its benefits.

A Canadian team has found that an eight-week yoga intervention is associated with improvements in pain, psychological functioning and cortisol levels in women with fibromyalgia (FM).

A 12-week yoga intervention results in greater improvements in mood and anxiety than equivalent walking exercise, according to a study from the USA.

A review of studies comparing the effects of yoga and exercise indicates that yoga may be as effective as or better than exercise at improving a variety of health-related outcomes.

Yoga can reduce eating disorder symptoms in adolescents, according to a study from the USA.

A brief yoga intervention significantly improves sleep quality for cancer survivors.

Participation in yoga classes can lead to significant reduction in anxiety in women who suffer from anxiety disorders.

Heart rate variability, which is indicative of a healthy heart, has been shown to be higher in yoga practitioners than in non-practitioners, according to Indian research.

Expert yoga practitioners exhibit lower levels of inflammatory markers compared with novices, possibly due to differences in their responses to stress.

The effect of yoga on menopausal symptoms, has been examined by Indian researchers.

A study carried out in India has assessed the efficacy of yoga therapy on cognitive abilities in climacteric syndrome.

Indian researchers have compared the effect of a short-term intensive residential yoga program with physical exercise (control) on pain and spinal flexibility in subjects with chronic low-back pain (CLBP).

An eight-week regimen of yoga, in addition to standard medical therapy, can improve exercise tolerance and positively affect levels of inflammatory markers in patients with chronic heart failure.