Swasthyam Sarvesham: Yoga as a Pillar of Universal Health Coverage

Background: The 21st century presents a dual public health challenge — a rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and deteriorating global mental health. The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6, 2023–24), spanning 715 districts and 6.79 lakh households, reflects India's progress in health insurance coverage (60.2%) yet underscores persistent regional disparities and NCD burden as critical barriers to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3). Objective: To evaluate yoga as a preventive, cost-effective, and culturally grounded intervention contributing to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and global well-being. Methods: A narrative review of published clinical trials, health economic studies, WHO documentation, and classical yogic literature was undertaken to synthesize evidence supporting yoga's role in NCD prevention, mental health promotion, and healthcare cost reduction. Results: Mapping yoga against the eight-dimension UHC framework showed strong alignment with service delivery and population health status, supported by evidence of low-resource scalability and established musculoskeletal, cardiometabolic, and mental health benefits. Financial and economic infrastructure showed moderate alignment, supported by favorable cost-per-QALY data from workplace-based trials. Alignment with coverage, social infrastructure/sustainability, and stewardship/governance was weaker, constrained by uneven population uptake and reliance on policy-level rather than systemic evidence. Global movements showed the weakest alignment, reflecting advocacy-driven rather than measured cross-country integration. Overall, yoga demonstrated robust evidentiary support for 3–4 of the eight dimensions, with the remainder representing aspirational rather than established contributions to UHC. Conclusion: Yoga offers a scalable, affordable, and holistic strategy addressing the dual crisis of NCDs and mental health deterioration. Its integration into national and global health frameworks presents a transformative pathway toward achieving Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.