Despite Other Health Benefits, Yoga May Not Lead to Cardio Fitness
Says Researcher at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus in New Study

Brooklyn, N.Y. – The advent of the New Year often goes hand in hand with good resolutions for improving one’s health. For many people, the plan is for more exercise, which may include yoga as a choice for keeping fit. However, despite its many proven health benefits, yoga may not provide enough intensity of activity to meet the latest health recommendations for cardio fitness, says a new study.

“We wanted to determine whether a typical yoga class as practiced in the U.S. meets the current recommendations for levels of physical activity required to improve and maintain health and cardiovascular fitness,” says Marshall Hagins, an associate professor of physical therapy at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus and one of the authors of the study. Yoga is increasing in popularity, with 15 million Americans reportedly practicing it at least once in their lifetimes, according to the study.

Current guidelines advise at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity five times a week or 20 minutes of intense activity three days a week for most healthy adults. “We compared the number of calories burned and heart rate to these recommendations and found that yoga did not meet current recommendations for sufficient intensity of physical activity,” says Hagins, who has a Ph.D. in biomechanics and ergonomics, a clinical doctorate in physical therapy and is himself a 10-year practitioner of this ancient Indian practice.

In Hagins’ study, 20 intermediate-to-advanced yoga practitioners performed a one-hour yoga exercise routine in a special respiratory chamber that measured the amount of oxygen they consumed (energy expenditure), and participants wore devices that measured heart rate. The researchers found that the metabolic cost of yoga was the equivalent of low levels of physical activity – about the same as walking at 3.2 kph (about 2 mph) on a level treadmill – and much lower than the suggested guidelines of “moderate” activity.

The study also demonstrated that the portions of the yoga class with “sun salutation” postures – flowing movement exercises performed at a faster pace – did meet the criteria for moderate exercise. “So if you want to increase your levels of physical activity, find yoga classes with more dynamic and vigorous sets of poses,” suggests Hagins.

Hagins is quick to emphasize that his study only looked at one narrow aspect of yoga. “Yoga is a multidimensional intervention which may convey its primary benefits in ways unrelated to metabolic expenditure and increased heart rate,” he says, noting, ”Yoga is known to have positive health benefits on blood pressure, osteoporosis, stress and depression.” He hopes this preliminary study will lead to answers to a potentially more interesting question – does yoga provide benefits that are unrelated, or only partially related, to the physical activity component of yoga?

Hagins co-authored the study, which was published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine on November 30, 2007, with Andrew Rundle and Wendy Moore. A former professional dancer, Hagins also has a private physical therapy practice, Brooklyn Arts PT; his clients have included Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Morris.

Posted: January 8, 2008

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