New research suggests that regular yoga may support lung function and mental wellbeing in polluted cities. But can it really reduce the health effects of air pollution?
Air pollution has become a daily concern for millions of people living in Indian cities. In Delhi-NCR, poor air quality can make even a morning walk uncomfortable. For those who practise yoga outdoors, it also raises an important question: can breathing exercises help the body cope with polluted air?
A 2025 study published in Advances in Mind-Body Medicine offers some interesting findings.
The researchers found that people who followed a structured yoga routine showed improvements in lung function, stress levels and quality of life compared with those who did not participate in the programme.
These results are encouraging. However, they do not mean yoga can remove pollutants from the lungs or protect the body from the harmful effects of smog.
Understanding that difference is essential.
What Did the Delhi-NCR Yoga Study Find?
The study involved 86 adults between the ages of 18 and 50, all living in the Delhi-NCR region.
Participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group followed a structured yoga programme, while the other served as a control group.
The yoga programme continued for 12 weeks, with 60-minute sessions conducted five days a week.
Each session included three practices:
- Asana (yoga postures): Physical movements intended to improve flexibility, strength and body awareness.
- Pranayama (yogic breathing practices): Breathing techniques involving conscious regulation of the breath.
- Guided meditation: Practices designed to encourage attention, relaxation and mental calm.
Researchers measured participants’ breathing capacity, psychological wellbeing and quality of life before and after the programme.
At the end of 12 weeks, the yoga group showed statistically significant improvements in several lung-function measurements, including forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1).
Participants also reported lower stress-related scores and improvements in respiratory quality-of-life measures.
The control group, meanwhile, showed declines across the measured outcomes.
The findings suggest that regular yoga may have a supportive role in maintaining physical and psychological wellbeing among adults living in polluted urban environments.
Can Yoga Actually Reduce the Effects of Air Pollution?
This is where the findings need careful interpretation.
The study suggests that yoga may help improve certain measures of respiratory function. However, it does not establish that yoga prevents pollution-related disease or reverses damage caused by prolonged exposure.
Air pollution contains harmful substances, including fine particulate matter such as PM2.5. These particles can travel deep into the respiratory system and are associated with serious health risks.
Yoga cannot filter these particles from the air.
A breathing exercise may influence how a person breathes, but it cannot make polluted air safe to inhale.
There is another important limitation. The research examined a combination of yoga postures, breathing techniques and meditation. It cannot tell us whether the observed improvements came primarily from physical movement, breath regulation, relaxation or the combined routine.
With just 86 participants and a 12-week study period, more research is needed to understand whether the findings apply to larger populations and whether the improvements persist over time.
The evidence is promising, but it should not be overstated.
Why Breathing Practices Deserve Attention
Breathing is central to yoga, particularly through pranayama, the traditional practice of regulating the breath.
Different techniques involve changes in breathing rhythm, depth and awareness. Some emphasise slow, comfortable breathing, while others involve more vigorous breathing patterns or breath retention.
These practices are not interchangeable, especially when air quality is poor.
Slower, comfortable breathing in a clean indoor environment may form part of a relaxing yoga routine. Forceful or prolonged deep breathing outdoors during a pollution episode, however, could increase the amount of contaminated air entering the respiratory system.
This is why the setting matters as much as the practice.
The Delhi-NCR study supports further investigation into structured yoga programmes. It does not provide evidence that any particular pranayama technique can cleanse the lungs or neutralise airborne pollutants.
Yoga and Mental Wellbeing in Polluted Cities
One of the more interesting aspects of the research concerns psychological wellbeing.
Air pollution is often discussed in terms of coughing, breathlessness and long-term respiratory health. Yet living in an environment with persistently poor air quality can also affect everyday routines, outdoor activity and psychological comfort.
The trial measured stress and other psychological outcomes alongside lung function.
Participants in the yoga group showed improvements in these measures after completing the programme.
This finding deserves attention because yoga combines physical activity with practices that may encourage relaxation and greater awareness of breathing.
For urban residents, a consistent indoor yoga routine may therefore offer benefits beyond physical movement alone.
Nevertheless, the study does not prove that yoga specifically prevents psychological problems caused by pollution. It shows that a structured programme was associated with better measured outcomes in the participants studied.
What Ayurveda Can Contribute to the Conversation
Ayurveda has traditionally placed considerable importance on daily routines, appropriate physical activity, rest and the relationship between individual wellbeing and the surrounding environment.
The concept of dinacharya (daily routine) encourages consistency in everyday habits, including sleep, movement and personal care.
This perspective offers a useful way to understand yoga as part of a broader approach to wellbeing rather than an isolated exercise performed only when symptoms appear.
A regular routine may include suitable physical activity, comfortable breathing practices, adequate rest and attention to environmental conditions.
However, traditional Ayurvedic principles should not be presented as scientific proof that yoga prevents air-pollution injury.
The Delhi-NCR trial investigated modern measures of lung function and psychological health. It did not test an Ayurvedic treatment programme or examine the effects of Panchakarma.
The more useful connection is the emphasis on consistency, individual suitability and the environment in which a practice takes place.
How to Practise Yoga More Safely When Air Quality Is Poor
For people living in polluted cities, the environment should be considered before beginning any exercise or breathing routine.
A few general precautions are worth keeping in mind:
- Choose cleaner indoor air: Practise in a well-ventilated indoor space when outdoor conditions are suitable, or in a space with appropriate air filtration when outdoor pollution is high.
- Check local air-quality guidance: Avoid strenuous outdoor activity during periods of severe pollution.
- Keep breathing comfortable: Gentle, unforced breathing is a more cautious starting point than vigorous breathing exercises.
- Seek qualified guidance: An experienced yoga instructor can help adapt a routine to a person’s physical abilities and limitations.
- Respect existing health conditions: People with respiratory or cardiovascular concerns should discuss suitable activities with their treating clinician.
Yoga should remain a complementary wellbeing practice. It cannot replace prescribed medical care, appropriate respiratory protection or measures that reduce exposure to polluted air.
The Role of Yoga in a Residential Ayurvedic Setting
The study also raises a broader question about the value of structured daily routines.
Maintaining consistency can be difficult in busy urban environments. Work schedules, commuting and changing air quality may interfere with regular physical activity and relaxation.
A residential Ayurvedic setting offers a different environment in which suitable movement, yoga, meditation and rest can become part of an organised daily schedule.
At Kairali – The Ayurvedic Healing Village in Palakkad, Kerala, yoga and meditation form part of an individually considered residential Ayurvedic experience.
The NABH-accredited Ayurvedic hospital brings these practices into a setting where guest suitability and personal health considerations can be discussed with the medical team.
This should not be confused with a treatment for pollution-related lung injury. The Delhi-NCR research was not conducted at Kairali, and its findings cannot be used to claim that a residential Ayurvedic stay repairs damage caused by polluted air.
Rather, the study adds to the discussion about the potential value of consistent, appropriately supervised yoga practice.
The Bigger Lesson: Yoga Supports Wellbeing, but Clean Air Remains Essential
The Delhi-NCR study contributes useful evidence to an important public-health conversation.
Its findings suggest that a structured yoga programme may help improve breathing-related measurements, reduce perceived stress and support quality of life among selected adults living in polluted environments.
But yoga cannot replace clean air.
Reducing exposure to harmful pollutants, following public-health guidance and obtaining appropriate medical care must remain priorities.
The value of yoga lies in its possible supportive role alongside these measures, not in the promise of protection from pollution.
As further research develops, the most responsible approach is to recognise what regular yoga may offer while remaining clear about what it cannot do.
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