Yoga is a healing system of theory and practice.

It is a combination of breathing
exercises, physical postures, and meditation that has been practiced for more than 5,000
years. [1][2]

While yoga evolved as a spiritual practice in Hinduism, in the Western world, a part of
yoga, known as Asana, has grown increasingly popular as a form of purely physical
exercise. Some Western forms have little or nothing to do with Hinduism or spirituality,
but are simply a way of keeping fit and healthy. The common and popular movement of
exercise yoga is Surya Namaskara.

Yoga was introduced to American society in the late 19th century by Swami
Vivekananda, the founder of the Vedanta Society.[citation needed] He believed that India has an
abundance of spiritual wealth and that yoga is a method that could help those who were
bound by the materialism of capitalist societies to achieve spiritual well-being.

A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine focused on who used complementary and alternative medicine
(CAM), what was used, and why it was used in the United States by adults age 18 years
and over during 2002.[3] According to this survey, Yoga was the 5th most commonly used
CAM therapy excluding prayer (5.1%) in the United States during 2002. [4] Yoga is
considered a mind-body intervention that is used to reduce the health effects of
generalized stress

Yoga is believed to calm the nervous system and balance the body, mind, and spirit. It is
thought by its practitioners to prevent specific diseases and maladies by keeping the
energy meridians open and life energy (Prana) flowing.[9][10] Yoga is usually practiced in
classes that range from 60 to 90 minutes in length. Yoga has been used to lower blood
pressure, reduce stress, and improve coordination, flexibility, concentration, sleep, and
digestion.[citation needed]

It has also been used as supplementary therapy for such diverse conditions as cancer,
diabetes, asthma, AIDS[11] and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.[12]

The popularization in the West of the medical aspect of Yoga is largely attributed to
Dr.Swami Sivananda Saraswati's Bihar School of Yoga.[citation needed] Most yoga classes
consist of a combination of physical exercises, breathing exercises, and meditation. These
characteristics make yoga a particularly beneficial kind of exercise for people with
certain health conditions, including heart disease/hypertension, asthma, and back
problems.[citation needed]

For people with heart problems, studies have shown yoga to help people young and old.
Specifically, yoga seems to promote heart health in several ways, including regulating
high blood pressure and improving resistance to psychological stress.[14] Yoga also has
the potential to buffer against the harmful effects of bodily self-objectification as well as
to promote embodiment and well-being.[15]