A yoga-based cardiac rehabilitation program improved quality of life and physical function for people with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, according to late-breaking science presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2026. The study, which included nearly 3,500 adults in India, found that participants in the yoga-based rehab group reported better quality of life and could walk farther than those who received enhanced standard care. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the combined rate of death, hospitalization or stroke between the two groups.
The findings matter because heart failure affects millions in India, where patients are typically younger and resources are limited. “Between 8 and 10 million people in India are living with heart failure, many of whom are typically 10 years younger, on average (most younger than age 65) compared to adults with heart failure living in high-income countries,” said lead study author Dorairaj Prabhakaran, M.B.B.S., M.D., D.M., executive director of the Centre for Chronic Disease Control in India. “Reducing hospitalizations and improving quality of life and physical function for heart failure patients, these are valuable shifts that are much needed in countries like India.”
Cardiac rehabilitation programs are medically guided and designed for people who have experienced a heart attack, heart failure or heart surgery. They can lower the risk of another cardiac event and improve daily functioning through exercise guidance, education and counseling. However, such programs are often costly and underutilized. According to the 2025 American Heart Association Scientific Statement: Cardiac Rehabilitation in Women, participation rates are low, particularly among women, older adults and some racial and ethnic groups.
“Cardiac rehab programs are inaccessible to many, and their uptake is poor in many countries,” Prabhakaran said. “Innovations are needed to reduce costs, scale up cardiac rehab and make it sustainable. Yoga is culturally acceptable in countries like India, and it can provide many of the benefits of cardiac rehab at a lower cost.”
The trial, conducted between April 2023 and December 2025 across 16 medical centers in India, randomly assigned participants to either the yoga-based program or enhanced standard care. The yoga group received 20 supervised sessions over three months, followed by one session every three months, while the control group received three health education sessions. At three months, the yoga group's quality of life scores improved by about 8 points on the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire compared to the control group. They also walked, on average, 25.5 meters farther in six minutes. Over a median follow-up of 15 months, 21.0% of the yoga group experienced death, hospitalization or stroke, compared to 22.8% in the control group—a difference that was not statistically significant.
“This study tested a yoga-based cardiac rehabilitation program incorporating health education and tailored behavior change with individual participant goals and a standardized set of physical practices of yoga,” Prabhakaran said. “We found the Yoga-CaRe program helped improve quality of life and physical function in people living with heart failure.” He noted that the program was delivered by a board-certified yoga and naturopathy practitioner and that the results are potentially scalable in settings where cardiac rehab is not easily available.
The study has limitations, including that participants could not be blinded and the yoga group had more interactions with instructors. The findings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. The research was presented at Scientific Sessions 2026, a premier global exchange of cardiovascular science. For more information on heart failure, visit heart failure resources from the American Heart Association. The abstract is available in the 2026 Online Program Planner, and additional details can be found in the release link. A related AHA news release highlights that women face barriers in accessing, participating in cardiac rehab despite proven benefits. For guidance on cardiac rehab benefits, see How Will I Benefit from Cardiac Rehab? and the Core Components of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs: 2024 Update.
