With thousands of Yoga Studios and Millions of Yoga and Pilates Students participating in the Yoga Month 09.2008 national awareness campaign and the 10 City Yoga Health Festivals you might ask yourself, what exactly are the health benefits of yoga? Is there scientific proof that yoga actually works in preventing disease or healing chronic health issues?

Scientific studies have shows that Yoga induces a feeling of well-being in healthy people, and can reverse the clinical and biochemical changes associated with metabolic syndrome, according to results of studies from Sweden and India. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and high blood sugar.

Dr. R.P. Agrawal, of the SP Medical College, Bikaner, India, and colleagues evaluated the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation in 101 adults with features of metabolic syndrome. In the study, 55 adults received three months of regular yoga including standard postures and Raja Yoga, a form of transcendental meditation daily, while the remaining received standard care.

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