A study on the effect of hatha yogic practices on body weight of the human subjects

According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 112,000 people die every year from conditions related to being overweight or obese. Even losing a moderate amount of weight when someone is obese -5 to 10 percent -can significantly reduce the risk for chronic disease. with the background that a number of studies being conducted to observe the effect of complementary therapies to reduce body weight, the present study aimed to find the impact of Hatha Yoga Practices on body weight of the normal Human subjects.

Seventy volunteers were taken as experimental group from urban area of Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida region. The subjects were a heterogeneous group having Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity and joints problem but otherwise healthy and were voluntarily wanted to join Yoga session for general physical mental wellbeing. In this pre-post research study a package of Asana, pranayam, Shatkarma and relaxation techniques were introduced to them. The volunteers practiced for 90 days except Sunday and holidays. The impact of the practice of Hatha Yogic techniques showed a significant reduction on their body weight.