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Most yoga classes consist of a dozen or so gentle poses and end with meditation.
Each pose is supposed to stimulate circulation in a certain part of the body and improve the health of muscles and internal organs. Recently, researchers studied yoga and found some positive results. Their report, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, said that carpal tunnel patients who practiced yoga did better than those who simply wore wrist splints. Other evidence has shown yoga may be effective in treating diabetes, arthritis and stress. The second thing one should notice, Payne says, is an improvement in concentration.