Insomnia, smoking and sugar consumption were struggles that caused 50-year-old Allan Cox to feel restless and unhealthy. Then he started a yoga , or yogic sleep, practice. Within several months, he felt more calm and started sleeping better, which led him to naturally eliminate his unhealthy behaviors.

He says that yoga  provides a relaxation skill set that makes him self-aware and less impulsive. Cox, a librarian from Canton, New York, generally does a 45-minute yoga , twice a week to keep him on course.

"As far as stress reduction, that hour and a half a week gives me just as much benefit, probably more, than exercise does," says Cox. "Some days are not that easy, but I'm able to create a calmness, and I attribute that to yoga ."