No significant difference was found between yoga and exercise .
Conclusions There is promising evidence of yoga on improving cardio-metabolic health .
Background Yoga , a popular mind-body practice , may produce changes in cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and metabolic syndrome risk factors .
Effects of aerobic exercise training and yoga on the baroreflex in healthy elderly persons.
It is unclear whether the age-associated reduction in baroreflex sensitivity is modifiable by exercise training . The effects of aerobic exercise training and yoga , a non-aerobic control intervention , on the baroreflex of elderly persons was determined . Baroreflex sensitivity was quantified by the alpha-index , at high frequency ( HF ; 0.15 - 0.35 Hz , reflecting parasympathetic activity ) and mid-frequency ( MF ; 0.05 - 0.15 Hz , reflecting sympathetic activity as well ) , derived from spectral and cross-spectral analysis of spontaneous fluctuations in heart rate and blood pressure . Twenty-six ( 10 women ) sedentary , healthy , normotensive elderly ( mean 68 years , range 62 - 81 years ) subjects were studied . Fourteen ( 4 women ) of the sedentary elderly subjects completed 6 weeks of aerobic training , while the other 12 ( 6 women ) subjects completed 6 weeks of yoga .  Heart rate decreased following yoga ( 69 + /- 8 vs. 61 + /- 7 min-1 , P < 0.05 ) but not aerobic training ( 66 + /- 8 vs. 63 + /- 9 min-1 , P = 0.29 ) . VO2 max increased by 11 % following yoga ( P < 0.01 ) and by 24 % following aerobic training ( P < 0.01 ) . No significant change in alpha MF ( 6.5 + /- 3.5 vs. 6.2 + /- 3.0 ms mmHg-1 , P = 0.69 ) or alpha HF ( 8.5 + /- 4.7 vs. 8.9 + /- 3.5 ms mmHg-1 , P = 0.65 ) occurred after aerobic training . Following yoga , alpha HF ( 8.0 + /- 3.6 vs. 11.5 + /- 5.2 ms mmHg-1 , P < 0.01 ) but not alpha MF ( 6.5 + /- 3.0 vs. 7.6 + /- 2.8 ms mmHg-1 , P = 0.29 ) increased . Short- duration aerobic training does not modify the alpha-index at alpha MF or alpha HF in healthy normotensive elderly subjects .  alpha HF but not alpha MF increased following yoga , suggesting that these parameters are measuring distinct aspects of the baroreflex that are separately modifiable
No significant difference was found between yoga and exercise .
Conclusions There is promising evidence of yoga on improving cardio-metabolic health .
Background Yoga , a popular mind-body practice , may produce changes in cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and metabolic syndrome risk factors .