Impact of Hatha Yoga Detoxification on Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness among Working Women with a Sedentary Lifestyle

Objectives: The objective of the study is to evaluate the effects of a hatha yoga intervention on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and mental health in sedentary working women. Materials and Methods: A pre–post interventional study was conducted on 63 sedentary working women aged between 25 and 50 years. Participants underwent weekly three hatha yoga sessions for 16 weeks that included asanas, pranayama, and detoxification/shatkarmas (neti, nauli, trataka, kapalbhati). Pre- and post-intervention assessments included body composition, blood pressure (BP), lipid profile, fasting glucose, VO2 max, 6-min walk test, respiratory rate, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), patient health questionnaire-9, generalized anxiety disorder-7 and World Health Organization-5 well-being index. Results: Significant improvements were observed in physiological parameters such as body mass index, fat mass, waist–hip circumference, BP. No significant change was observed in weight and lean body mass. Cardiorespiratory parameters such as VO2 max, 6-min walk distance, endurance time, and PEFR increased significantly, while respiratory rate decreased markedly, demonstrating substantial gains in cardiorespiratory fitness and improved pulmonary function with highly significant values between pre–post intervention ( p < 0.001). Total cholesterol did not change significantly, but high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol increased significantly and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased significantly, indicating an improved cardiovascular profile. Fasting blood glucose and triglycerides showed significant reductions, whereas total cholesterol did not change significantly. The inclusion of cleansing techniques likely enhanced metabolic and respiratory benefits. Conclusion: Hatha Yoga with its integrated physical, respiratory, and cleansing practices is a powerful, low-cost intervention for improving physical health, cardiorespiratory fitness, metabolic balance, and emotional well-being in sedentary working women. Larger studies should be conducted to further research and provide evidence of the role of Shatkarmas/detoxification techniques in preventive health.