Is yoga a good way to lose weight?

There’s evidence that yoga may help people lose weight.

In 2013, a review supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) looked at 17 yoga-based weight-control programs and found that most of them led to gradual, moderate reductions in weight. The programs with the best results included at least some of these elements:

• Longer and more frequent yoga sessions.
• A longer duration of the overall program.
• A yoga-based dietary component.
• A residential component (such as a full weekend to start the program).
• A larger number of elements of yoga.
• Home practice.

Another review, in 2016, looked at 10 studies of yoga in individuals who were overweight or obese and found that practicing yoga was associated with reduced body mass index (BMI; a measure of body fat based on height and weight).