...practice yoga, making it one of the most popular forms of exercise.

Although the research on yoga is still weak, based on the available findings, Yoga is probably just as good for your health as many other forms of exercise. 

It seems particularly promising for improving lower back pain and — crucially — reducing inflammation in the body.

There is no certainty whether some forms of yoga are better than others, whether yoga should be prescribed to people for various health conditions, and how yoga compares with other forms of exercise. 

There's also no good evidence behind many of the supposed health benefits of y...

Yoga is many things to many people. It usually involves some combination of postures and poses (asanas), regulated breathing (pranayama), and meditation and relaxation (samyama). But many classes mix in other elements, from chanting to heating to music. There's also a lot of variation in teaching...

There can be negative consequences if done incorrectly, like any body manipulation, but if you have the right teacher this will not happen. 

Beginners should avoid advanced postures (such as headstands), and people with chronic health conditions (such as glaucoma) should consult...

Depending on the type, Yoga could build your muscles. 

It strongly depends on what you do when you do yoga. Classes that involve nothing more than lying around on piles of blankets and breathing aren't likely to strengthen your body. But more strenuous types of yoga-like ashtang...

Yoga might help with mood disorders, but we don't yet know for sure because the studies to date have generally been badly designed and the results are inconclusive. 

And when it comes to anxiety and depression, it can be difficult to untangle whether it's the yoga that's helping...

Researchers haven't tracked yogis over a span of 20 years or more and have not followed up to see whether they get diseases at a lower rate than non-yogis. 

There are some randomized controlled trials suggesting that yoga may improve the quality of life for diabetes patients, re...