Yoga as an Adjunct in Tobacco Cessation: A Narrative Review

Tobacco use remains one of the most significant preventable causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, accounting for over eight million deaths annually. Despite extensive public health efforts, long-term cessation rates remain suboptimal due to nicotine dependence, strong conditioned behaviors, psychological distress, and sociocultural factors. Conventional treatment options—including behavioral counseling, nicotine replacement therapy, and pharmacotherapies—provide modest abstinence benefits, but relapse rates remain high. Therefore, exploring complementary adjunct strategies is essential to strengthen tobacco cessation outcomes. Yoga, an ancient mind–body discipline originating in India, incorporates physical postures (āsana), breath regulation (prāṇāyāma), and meditation (dhyāna) to harmonize physiological and psychological function. Growing evidence suggests that yoga can modulate stress responses, reduce autonomic arousal, enhance affect regulation, and improve cognitive control—mechanisms that may be particularly relevant to the management of nicotine withdrawal and relapse prevention. This narrative review synthesizes existing literature on yoga-based interventions for tobacco cessation, exploring their effectiveness, theoretical mechanisms, and integration potential.