Background: An epidemic of metabolic diseases, stress, worry, and a lower standard of living are all associated with obesity. Stress is a major contributor to various metabolic and cardiac diseases. Variability in heart rate (HRV) is indeed a crucial indicator of functional stress and the balance among the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous systems. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of yoga treatment on the heart rate variability of obese individuals, as yoga provides a comprehensive approach to restoring the body and mind's normal physiology.

Materials and methods: A total of 150 subjects, whose BMI ≥25kg/m² were selected for the study based on predefined selection criteria. A control group (n=75) and a yoga group (n=75) were assigned to this study, and yoga group had yoga treatment for ten weeks while adhering to a regular diet and lifestyle. On the first day and ten weeks into the yoga intervention, they were evaluated based on their criteria.

Results: Comparing the case and control groups, the yoga practitioners experienced significant improvements in several health indicators. They showed reduced mean weight, BMI, blood pressure, and mean heart rate. Furthermore, their heart rate variability (HRV) increased, as evidenced by higher R-R interval, SDNN, RMSSD, NN50, and pNN50, along with a greater high-frequency (HF) component. Additionally, there was a decrease in mean low frequency (LF) and LF/HF ratio, indicating a shift towards parasympathetic dominance and reduced sympathetic activity.

Conclusion: Heart rate variability is positively impacted by yoga treatment, which suggests that the autonomic nervous system's balancing mechanism is moving in favour of parasympathetic activity.