Yoga May Boost Tobacco Quitting Success By 50%: AIIMS Study

Practising yoga alongside conventional tobacco cessation therapies may improve a person's chances of quitting tobacco by nearly 50 per cent in the short term, according to a new study by researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, as PTI reported.

The systematic review and meta-analysis, conducted by researchers from the Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research and the Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS-Delhi, was published online in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research on November 15, 2025.

"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, authored by Shruti Singh, Dhanlika Dhanlika, Partha Haldar and Gautam Sharma, analysed seven randomised controlled trials involving 629 participants from India, the United States and Thailand. Five of these studies were included in the final meta-analysis.

The researchers assessed quitting success using the seven-day point prevalence abstinence (7PPA) measure. The review also included an Indian trial involving both smokers and smokeless tobacco users, a group that has received relatively limited attention in global research.

"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.

Tobacco use remains one of the world's leading public health challenges, causing an estimated 8.7 million deaths annually. Despite the availability of conventional cessation therapies, relapse rates remain high.

Mind-Body Therapy

According to the study, active yoga practices such as hatha, vinyasa and Iyengar may improve quit rates by reducing stress and depression, while pranayama, or yogic breathing exercises, can help ease cravings and negative emotions linked to nicotine withdrawal.

Gautam Sharma, Professor of Cardiology and founder and head of the Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research at AIIMS-Delhi, described yoga as an effective mind-body intervention.

"Yoga is an excellent tool to improve stress management, emotional balance and self-awareness, which are important to overcome addictive behaviours such as tobacco use," Sharma said.

He added that yoga could serve as an accessible, affordable and culturally acceptable complement to established tobacco cessation treatments, while also improving overall mental and physical health.

The researchers, however, said larger and longer-term studies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, are needed to strengthen the evidence and help establish yoga as a standard adjunct to tobacco cessation programmes worldwide.