Heart failure can leave patients tired, breathless, and unable to participate in their usual activities. According to research, yoga can help improve the long-term health of people with heart failure.

One study included 85 patients between ages 30 and 70 in treatment for heart failure at Kasturba Hospital in Manipal, India. They all had undergone a heart procedure within the past year and were taking heart medications. Researchers chose 40 people to participate in yoga, and 45 patients to just take their medicine as a control group.

Over a week’s time, people in the yoga group were taught a yoga practice that focuses on breathing, meditation, and relaxation. They then were advised to continue yoga on their own at home, in 50-minute sessions once a week.

Researchers checked the heart structure and function of all participants at the beginning of the trial, six months in, and at one year. The team measured the heart’s ability to pump blood, the function of its main pumping chamber, as well as blood pressure, heart rate, body weight, and body mass index (BMI). BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight.

The yoga group demonstrated significantly better improvements across all those measurements, at both six months and one year.

“Patients who practiced yoga on top of taking their medications felt better, were able to do more, and had stronger hearts than those who only took drugs for their heart failure,” said lead researcher Dr. Ajit Singh of the Indian Council of Medical Research and Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India.