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NEW DELHI: A new global analysis has reinforced what India has long believed: movement heals. An international meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology has found that yoga-based cardiac rehabilitation is as effective as standard rehabilitation for patients recovering from heart attacks — and may even help close health gaps among the most disadvantaged.Cardiac rehabilitation, traditionally centred on supervised exercise like treadmill walking or cycling along with monitoring and counselling, has been proven for decades. But the new review — covering nearly 5,000 coronary artery disease patients across eight international studies — offers some of the strongest evidence yet that yoga can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with conventional rehab.Patients who underwent cardiac rehab were 38% less likely to land back in the hospital for a new cardiac event and 32% less likely to be hospitalised for other causes over three years. They also reported better quality of life for up to a year after rehab. While life expectancy remained similar, the gains in day-to-day wellbeing were significant — and most pronounced among individuals with lower educational levels, a group traditionally underserved by cardiac care.AIIMS cardiologist Dr Ambuj Roy, a co-author of the meta-analysis, said the findings should resonate strongly in India. “The inclusion of yoga showed benefits comparable to standard cardiac rehab,” he said. “This matters for India, where standard CR is limited and expensive, while yoga is affordable, culturally acceptable and easily accessible.”Experts say the benefits transform lives. Dr Balbir Singh, Group Chairman & Head, Cardiology, Max Healthcare, pointed to a celebrated Geneva study where 29 heart-attack survivors, after structured rehab, successfully trekked up to 2,700 metres near Mont Blanc. “If patients can be trained to climb a mountain, it shows how effective cardiac rehab truly is,” he said, adding that early, guided exercise helps prevent future cardiac events and restores confidence.Clinicians say the findings reflect reality on the ground. Dr L.K. Jha, Associate Director & Head, Unit-II Cardiology, Asian Hospital, said patients often believe recovery ends at discharge — when the real healing actually begins. “Rehab helps them regain strength and avoid repeat hospital visits. It helps everyone, educated or not,” he said.Dr Atul Mathur, Chairman, Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Hospital, said rehab remains underutilised despite overwhelming evidence. “It should be integral to every patient’s treatment,” he said, urging hospitals and families to treat it as essential, not optional.The study’s message is clear and urgent: exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation — including yoga — is one of the most powerful, low-cost tools to help heart patients recover faster, stay out of the hospital, and live better.
