Abstract

Background: Prolonged sitting among office workers is strongly associated with cardiometabolic risk, musculoskeletal complaints, decreased productivity, and impaired well-being. Micro-breaks and workplace physical activity programs can reduce sedentary time, and yogabecause it can be performed in short bouts with low space/equipment needshas emerged as a pragmatic intervention for office settings. Objective: To systematically review and synthesize evidence from randomized trials, quasi-experimental studies, and acute experimental trials testing yoga interventions (including micro-yoga breaks and workplace yoga programs) aimed at reducing sedentary time or mitigating physiological/psychological harms of prolonged sitting in office workers. Methods: Electronic searches (PubMed/PMC/Google Scholar/Scopus/Cochrane central) identified trials and controlled studies published through 2025 that evaluated yoga delivered at/for the workplace, micro-yoga breaks, or yogabased active breaks for desk-based employees. Outcomes included objectively or subjectively measured sedentary time, breaks in sitting, glycemic and vascular markers, musculoskeletal discomfort, mood, cognitive performance, and adherence. Results: Thirty studies met inclusion: workplace yoga RCTs and controlled trials (e.g., Cheema et al., 2013), short-bout yoga break trials (e.g., Colvin et al., 2023), home/telework yoga interventions (e.g., Garcia et al., 2021), and multi-component workplace programs including yoga. Across studies, yoga interventions produced small-to-moderate improvements in musculoskeletal discomfort, mood, short-term glycemic responses when used as breaks, and self-reported interruptions of sitting time; however, evidence on objectively measured sitting time reduction is limited and heterogeneous. Meta-analysis of trials reporting sitting-time or validated break frequency showed small reductions favoring yoga/active-break conditions but with high heterogeneity and limited sample sizes. Mechanisms likely include light-to-moderate physical activity during poses, improved autonomic regulation, better posture, and behavioral cues that interrupt prolonged sitting. Conclusions: Yoga-based workplace strategies (micro-breaks, scheduled lunchtime sessions, or brief guided breaks) are feasible, acceptable, and can reduce some harms associated with prolonged sitting; but current evidence is insufficient to conclude consistent, clinically important reductions in total daily sitting time. High-quality, adequately powered randomized trials with objective sitting measures and longer follow-up are needed.

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