Yoga

But like other low-impact exercises, yoga reliably improves fitness and flexibility in healthy populations. The practice has also been shown to be a potentially powerful therapeutic tool. In studies involving patients with a variety of musculo-skeletal disorders, yoga was more helpful at reducing pain and improving mobility than other forms of low-impact exercise. Adding yoga to an existing exercise routine can improve strength and flexibility for hard to treat conditions like chronic lower back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis. Yoga's mix of physical exercise and regimented breathing has proven similarly therapeutic for lung health. Lung diseases like chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma shrink the passageways that carry oxygen, while weakening the membrane that brings oxygen into the blood. But breathing exercises like those found in yoga relax the muscles constricting those passageways and improve oxygen diffusion. Increasing the blood's oxygen content is especially helpful for those with weak heart muscles who have difficulty pumping enough oxygen throughout the body. And for those with healthy hearts, this practice can lower blood pressure and reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease.