Yoga-based rehabilitation improves quality of life for heart failure patients
A large-scale study shows the Yoga-CaRe program improves functional capacity and quality of life in people with heart failure.
A large-scale study of yoga-based cardiac rehabilitation, known as Yoga-CaRe, has improved the quality of life and functional capacity of people with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, according to The Tribune. The results were presented as late-breaking science at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions on November 7, 2026, in Chicago.
The clinical study involved nearly 3,500 people recruited through 16 hospitals across India. Participants were randomly allocated to receive either enhanced standard care or the Yoga-CaRe program. The yoga-based program was delivered by board-certified Yoga and Naturopathy practitioners and included health education, guided behaviour change, and standardised yoga practices such as asana, pranayama, and meditation.
Prof. Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Executive Director of the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC), said the program can be an alternative to multidisciplinary team-based rehabilitation in resource-constrained settings. He noted that roughly 1.8 million new heart failure cases are diagnosed in India each year, but very few receive cardiac rehabilitation.
At three months, patients in the yoga group showed an 8.1 unit improvement in the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire compared to the control group. They also walked 25.5 metres further in six minutes and had higher quality-adjusted utility-values. These differences persisted through 24 months.
While clinical events fell by 10 per cent, the reduction was not statistically significant. However, the study noted improvements in frailty, tobacco cessation, and caregivers' quality of life. Prof.
Ambuj Roy, co-lead of the study, said the trial addresses a major gap in patient care.