By: Radhika Narayan, ANIL PRASAD, Sanghamitra Jena, Anil Prasad, Prakriti Mishra, Manoj Kumar
Ageing is associated with progressive loss of physiological reserve, increasing vulnerability to chronic disease, and declining physical and cognitive function. Healthy ageing therefore involves preservation of mobility, cognition, psychological well-being, independence, and quality of life in addition to longevity. Yoga is a multicomponent mind-body practice combining physical postures, regulated breathing, relaxation, and meditative or attentional techniques. This narrative review examines evidence linking yoga with biological and functional domains relevant to healthy ageing. Available studies suggest potential benefits in balance, flexibility, lower-limb strength, gait and physical performance, blood pressure, selected cognitive outcomes, psychological well-being, and quality of life. Mechanistic studies also report changes in oxidative stress, inflammatory signaling, telomerase activity, neurotrophic factors, and stress-related pathways. However, the evidence remains heterogeneous. Many mechanistic studies are small, short-term, uncontrolled, or based on multicomponent interventions, and yoga has not consistently shown superiority over other active exercise programs. Improvements in surrogate biomarkers cannot be interpreted as proof of biological age reversal or increased lifespan. Yoga is therefore best considered a potentially useful adjunct to established healthy-ageing strategies rather than a proven longevity therapy. Future research should emphasize adequately powered randomized trials, standardized interventions, active comparators, and long-term clinically meaningful outcomes.
