Yoga has been observed to cause changes in a variety of bodily systems, including the respiratory, circulatory, and metabolic. There is evidence for the ability of yoga to stabilize the autonomic nervous system, improve the thermoregulatory system and respiratory function, and enhance endocrine system function (Kimura, et al., 2000). The effect of yoga on autonomic responses differs for the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems such that sympathetic responses are consistently reduced, whereas the parasympathetic is unchanged or increased (Yardi, 2001). The body appears to be in a more relaxed and stress-reduced state.
