Is yoga suitable for everyone?

It offers the powerful benefits of exercise. And since yoga is gentle, almost anyone can do it, regardless of your age or fitness level. Yoga is a 5,000-year-old discipline from India. It was developed as a practice to unite the mind and body. Can I be healthy by just doing yoga? Yoga is probably just as good for your health as many other forms of exercise. But it seems particularly promising for improving lower back pain and — crucially — reducing inflammation in the body, which can actually help stave off disease. Do yogis live longer? Yoga and meditation retreat helps you live longer, global studies have shown. People who meditate regularly have on average about 30% more activity of the enzyme telomerase than people who don't, found a study. Can you get toned from yoga? "Yoga has the potential to increase fat loss, develop muscle tone, and build flexibility, leading to a more lean-looking physique," he says. If flexibility and balance are what you're after, even the gentlest forms of yoga will do the trick.