1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 14 15 Methods yoga overweight blood pressure glucose cholesterol 16 Findings 17 18 19–23 10 11 18 24–27 28–31 Content of Yoga Programs 17 20 22 31 32 33 34 Frequency and Duration of Yoga Sessions et al. 24 et al. 32 28 27 Adherence to the Yoga Program 28 35 35 36 P 36 Weight Decreased 37 10 26 29 31 38–41 28 29–31 30 et al. 29 39 et al. 31 Blood Glucose Level Lowered 11 19–22 31 −1 P 19 −1 P 20 11 P BP Decreased 36 13 32 38–44 10 11 18 24–27 28–31 19–23 25 Cholesterol Level Improved 28 29 11 19 28 −1 −1 11 P −1 −1 P −1 P −1 P −1 P 45 38 43 46 47 38 et al. 47 47 Discussion Fig. 1 Figure 1. The possible effects of yoga on behavioral, psychological and physiological measures are illustrated. This article focuses on current evidences for physiological changes.  Of the articles describing interventions, only a few provided details regarding the yoga programs or the names and sequence of yoga postures. Asana and Pranayama provide different types of health benefits, and therapeutic yoga programs can involve various combinations of these two components. An optimal comparison of study results thus requires knowing the combination of Asana and Pranayama used. The sequence of yoga postures can be inferred from the list of posture names, but more straightforward information is essential to future studies seeking to replicate or generalize the results. A related issue that remains to be resolved is how to standardize yoga exercises for research purposes. The optimal duration and intensity required to maximize the effectiveness of yoga need to be determined, as does the need for a booster to provide long-term effects. Because the MET of yoga is low, increasing the frequency may increase the benefits. However, these factors cannot be judged from the reviews studies; many articles did not clearly identify the dosage of the yoga program studied, and they focused on the short-term health benefits of yoga. Only a few studies included follow-up data beyond 6 months. It also remains to be determined whether more intensive training, that is, a greater dosage, improves the likelihood of adopting and maintaining active behavior in the long run. 48 49 8 11 Conclusions Analyses of yoga intervention should be designed and conducted to identify programs best suited for diverse populations and for specific populations with high-risk factors for chronic health conditions. Such studies could guide the development of more practical and effective interventions.