Published Paper Details:

Abstract: Introduction: Heart rate variability (HRV) is a technique to assess cardiac autonomic rhythm non-invasively. It is a proxy for autonomic regulation and gives much psychophysiological information about holistic health. Having a higher HRV is a sign of sound cardiovascular health. According to WHO reports, 32% of global deaths occur due to malfunctioning of the cardiovascular system, which is the result of arrhythmic cardiac autonomic modulation. Many studies have suggested that yoga has the potential to increase HRV and alter HRV parameters towards parasympathetic activation, which has an immense positive effect on the mind and cardiac health. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the existing scientific literature to explore the role of yoga in the management of Heart rate variability. Methods: For this purpose, an online search on three specific databases, PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct, was conducted using the keywords Yoga, Pranayama, Asana, Dhyan, meditation, "Heart rate variability", "RR interval," HRV and "autonomic nervous system" etc. Search was limited to years ranging from 2014 to October 2023 with all inclusion criteria. Filter was applied as English language and human subject. Result: From all three databases, 3549 papers were recorded; after duplicates were removed and screened, only 11 RCT papers were included in this review based on the inclusion criteria. Studies suggested that yoga positively affected HRV and risk factors for cardiovascular disease across various populations. Conclusion: This review suggests that yoga is significantly useful in cardiac autonomic modulation towards parasympathetic dominance, which increases HRV and sympathovagal tone.