Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part H (2025)

Background: Yoga and conventional exercise therapy are two frequently utilised modalities for health improvement and disease management. Yoga is a full-body and mind practice that incorporates meditation (dhyana), breath control (pranayama), and physical postures (asanas). Exercise therapy frequently prescribes systematic, repetitive movements designed to attain certain physiological goals, including strength, endurance, or flexibility. Even though people often think of them as distinct, putting them together is becoming a strong synergistic intervention.
Objective: This systematic review aims to consolidate and rigorously analyse the existing scientific literature on therapies that combine yoga with exercise therapy, assessing their collective efficacy, relative effectiveness, and relevance across various health domains.
Methods: A comprehensive search was executed across electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and PEDro) from inception to October 2023. We included randomised controlled studies (RCTs) that looked at combined yoga and exercise therapies in adult human populations and compared them to either modality alone or control groups. The PEDro scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool were used to rate the quality of the study.
Results: Twenty-five RCTs satisfied the inclusion criteria. The integrated strategy typically yielded improved outcomes compared to control conditions and frequently surpassed the efficacy of either yoga or exercise alone. Key benefits were observed in: (1) Musculoskeletal Health: Greater reductions in chronic pain (e.g., low back pain, arthritis) and improved functional mobility; (2) Mental Health: Significant improvements in stress, anxiety, depression, and overall quality of life; (3) Cardiometabolic Health: Enhanced cardiovascular endurance, glycaemic control, and lipid profiles; (4) Neurological and Geriatric Health: Improved balance, gait, fall prevention, and cognitive function.
Conclusion: The combination of yoga and exercise therapy is a complete, multi-system approach that works well for the physical, mental, and physiological parts of health. The combination of exercise and yoga takes advantage of the strength-building and cardiovascular benefits of exercise as well as the flexibility, mindfulness, and autonomic regulation benefits of yoga. This study offers robust empirical evidence advocating for the implementation of integrated mind-body exercise prescriptions in clinical and public health contexts to promote holistic well-being.
Yoga, exercise therapy, integrated intervention, mind-body therapy, systematic review, physical activity, mental health, chronic pain, and holistic health are some of the words that come to mind.