Can yoga meet the requirement of the physical activity guideline of India? A descriptive review

The 2022 India Report Card on physical activity for children and adolescents

“…The IRC team added an 11th indicator for Yoga given its cultural significance. 13 , 14 The definitions and benchmarks for each indicator have been published as part of Global Matrix initiatives and are summarized in Appendix A . 11 , 13…”

“…The grades were assigned following AHKGA's evidence-based and standardized grading criteria, which enabled consistency of grading across all countries participating in the Global Matrix initiative. 13 , 14 …”

“…The grading process involved applying a standardized formula in consultation with AHKGA. 13 , 14 Based on the total number of studies shortlisted for each indicator, each study was assigned a weight. The following formula was used to assign weights: G = (g1∗w1) + (g1∗w2)/W, where G = overall grade; W = 100% total weightage; g = individual study grade; and w = weight assigned to each study based on the proportion of each study sample within the total sample.…”

“…The grades were audited by at least 2 AHKGA auditors, and two rounds of audits were performed for the IRC grades, until a final version was approved by all auditors. 13 , 14 …”

Prescribing Physical Activity in Mental Health: A Focused Review on the Latest Evidence, Recommendations, Challenges, and Relevance to India

“… 35 Reviewing and comparing these two strategies, Govindaraj et al 42 show that yoga is equal to or superior to exercise in most outcomes, not only related to mental health but also general health, including cardiovascular, reproductive, musculoskeletal, endocrine, etc. In fact, a recent review by Mohanty et al 43 recommends the compendium of physical activities to add a separate category for energy expenditure by yoga; they found that yoga, in terms of energy expenditure, is equivalent to moderate intensity physical activity. The review by Govindaraj et al, 42 however, points to the common but inaccurate notion that “yoga is a form of exercise” and lists important differences between them that are mainly attributable to yoga, which includes “emphasis on breath regulation, mindfulness during practice, the importance given to the maintenance of postures and differential effects on the body and the brain.” We suggest studies examining preventive and therapeutic physical activity schedules to combine yoga and other customary forms of physical activity to assess whether the benefits are additive.…”