A structured yoga-based cardiac rehabilitation program significantly improved quality of life and physical function for people with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, according to late-breaking research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026. The study, involving nearly 3,500 adults in India, offers a potentially scalable and affordable alternative to traditional cardiac rehab, which remains inaccessible to many patients in low-resource settings.
The trial randomized participants to either a yoga-based cardiac rehab program (Yoga-CaRe) or enhanced standard care. At three months, the yoga group showed a clinically meaningful improvement in quality of life, with Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire scores improving by about 8 points compared to the control group. Participants in the yoga group also walked an average of 25.5 meters farther in six minutes than those in the enhanced standard care group. However, the combined rate of death, hospitalization, or stroke was not statistically different between groups: 21.0% in the yoga group versus 22.8% in the control group over a median follow-up of 15 months.
“Between 8 and 10 million people in India are living with heart failure, many of whom are typically 10 years younger, on average, compared to adults with heart failure living in high-income countries,” said lead author Dorairaj Prabhakaran, M.B.B.S., M.D., D.M., executive director of the Centre for Chronic Disease Control in India. He noted that reducing hospitalizations and improving quality of life are valuable shifts for countries like India.
Cardiac rehabilitation programs are medically guided and proven to lower the risk of another cardiac event, but they are costly and underutilized, particularly among women and older adults, according to the 2025 American Heart Association Scientific Statement: Cardiac Rehabilitation in Women. “Innovations are needed to reduce costs, scale up cardiac rehab and make it sustainable,” Prabhakaran said. “Yoga is culturally acceptable in countries like India, and it can provide many of the benefits of cardiac rehab at a lower cost.”
The Yoga-CaRe program was delivered by a single healthcare professional in 20 supervised sessions over three months, followed by one session every three months. It included health education and tailored behavior change using a “Healthy Living with Heart Failure” booklet. The control group received three education sessions and the same booklet. The cultural acceptability was high, as shown by strong participation in supervised sessions and home practice.
While the study did not show a reduction in hard clinical events, the improvements in quality of life and functional capacity are meaningful for patients living with heart failure. The findings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal, and the authors call for future research on implementing yoga-based cardiac rehab at scale in other settings. For more information on the benefits of cardiac rehab, see How Will I Benefit from Cardiac Rehab? and the Core Components of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs: 2024 Update.
The study abstract is available in the abstract and the 2026 Online Program Planner. A related American Heart Association news release highlights that Women face barriers in accessing, participating in cardiac rehab despite proven benefits.
