Yoga may improve chances of quitting tobacco by 50 pc, boost mental well-being: AIIMS study

Practising yoga may significantly improve a tobacco user's chances of quitting while also reducing anxiety, depression, and other psychological factors linked to addiction, according to a study by researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

The systematic review and meta-analysis, conducted by researchers from the Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research and the Centre for Community Medicine, was published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

The paper was made available online on November 15, 2025.


The study found that tobacco users practising yoga had about 50 per cent higher odds of achieving short-term abstinence compared to those in control groups receiving standard interventions or other non-yoga approaches.

"The findings of the review suggest that yoga can serve as a moderately effective (approximately 50%) intervention for tobacco cessation," the authors wrote.

The review was authored by doctors Shruti Singh, Dhanlika Dhanlika, Partha Haldar, and Gautam Sharma of AIIMS-Delhi, where they analysed evidence from seven randomised controlled trials involving 629 participants from the United States, India and Thailand. Five of these studies were included in the meta-analysis.

Tobacco use remains a major public health challenge globally, causing an estimated 8.7 million deaths every year. Despite a strong desire among many users to quit, relapse rates remain high, even among those using conventional cessation therapies.

To assess whether yoga could support cessation efforts, the researchers examined studies involving different forms of yoga, including hatha, vinyasa and Iyengar yoga, as well as yogic breathing practices.

The pooled analysis showed that participants in yoga groups were more likely to achieve seven-day point prevalence abstinence (7PPA), a standard measure of tobacco cessation.

"This review consolidates the best available evidence on the effects of yoga interventions for tobacco cessation, showcasing the promising potential of yoga in smoking cessation," the researchers said.

The study also found that yoga offered psychological benefits that may help prevent relapse.

According to the review, studies reported improvements in depression, anxiety and quality of life among participants practising yoga.

The authors noted that active yoga styles such as hatha, vinyasa and Iyengar yoga improved abstinence outcomes by reducing stress and depression, while pranayama, or yogic breathing exercises, helped reduce cravings and negative emotions associated with tobacco withdrawal.

A notable aspect of the review was the inclusion of an Indian randomised controlled trial involving both smokers and smokeless tobacco users, an area that has received relatively little attention in global cessation research.

The researchers, however, cautioned that the available evidence is still limited and called for larger, long-term studies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where tobacco use remains widespread.

By standardising methodologies and expanding research across diverse populations, future studies could help establish yoga's role as an accessible and low-cost addition to tobacco cessation programmes worldwide, they said.

Dr Gautam Sharma, professor of Cardiology and founder/head of the Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research, AIIMS-Delhi said that "yoga is an effective form of mind-body intervention. It is an excellent tool to improve stress management, emotional balance and self-awareness, which are important to overcome addictive behaviors such as tobacco use."

"It is also a promising rehabilitation measure that improves both mental and physical health. Along with established tobacco cessation therapies, yoga can contribute as an accessible, affordable, culturally acceptable, and effective adjunctive modality," he added.