Multidimensional Effects of Suryanamaskar on Physical, Physiological, and Psychological Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Background: Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutation) is a dynamic sequence of yoga that incorporates movement, breath and mindfulness, and is known for its many potential multidimensional health benefits. Despite the increasing volume of research, a comprehensive and domain-specific synthesis examining the multidimensional effects of Suryanamaskar and yoga-based interventions incorporating Suryanamaskar remains limited. Hence, the present study was designed to systematically review and synthesize the existing evidence related to the effects of Suryanamaskar and yoga-based interventions using Suryanamaskar sequence on various populations and outcome domains. Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 statement and Cochrane Handbook recommendations. Literature searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar from database inception to 31 December 2025. Studies involving human participants and Suryanamaskar-based interventions reporting measurable physical, physiological, or psychological outcomes were included. Fourteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Study characteristics, intervention protocols, and outcome measures were extracted. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 for randomized studies and ROBINS-I for non-randomized studies. Due to substantial heterogeneity, findings were synthesized narratively. Results: A total of 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, Suryanamaskar and yoga-based interventions incorporating Suryanamaskar were associated with improvements in physical fitness, physiological health, psychological well-being, and body composition across diverse populations. Most included studies reported favourable changes in physical fitness, physiological, psychological, and body-composition outcomes; however, the magnitude and consistency of findings varied substantially across study designs, participant populations, intervention protocols, and outcome measures. Conclusions: Promising but heterogeneous evidence suggests that Suryanamaskar and yoga-based interventions incorporating Suryanamaskar may contribute to improvements in physical fitness, physiological function, psychological well-being, and body composition across diverse populations. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution because of variability in study designs, intervention protocols, participant characteristics, and risk of bias. Although Suryanamaskar appears to be a practical, low-cost, and holistic intervention with potential applications in educational, sports, and health-promotion settings, further high-quality randomized controlled trials with standardized protocols and larger sample sizes are required to strengthen the evidence base.