[Preventive and curative value of yoga in cardiometabolic diseases]

Yoga and other body-mind techniques enjoy an increasing popularity in many fields of health maintaining practices, in prevention of some illnesses and in curative medicine in spite of our incomplete knowledge about its applicability and effects. There are large differences among the various yoga-schools and the heterogeneity of indications etc. In this article a bucket of recent information is offered for the inquirers on the potential advantages of yoga (diet, mind-exercises, asanas, pranayamas) for decreasing cardio-metabolic risk factors, stabilizing mental health, and its addictive use in curative medicine. Few adverse side-effects may occur only in the case of misapplication. Its advantages are low costs, availability for broad population, and very few contraindications. Disadvantages include differences in the ability of yoga instructors and in yoga practices.