Looking for a healthy new habit to take up in 2015? Try regularly practicing yoga. New research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology shows the exercise is just as effective as cycling or power walking when it comes to weight loss and heart health, Time.com reports.

For the study, scientists reviewed 37 randomized controlled trials on exercise that included the health data of 2,768 men and women. Researchers found that, compared with those who didn’t work out, people in these studies who practiced yoga showed significant weight loss as well as improvements in their blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol levels.

What’s more, when compared to other forms of moderate exercise, such as biking or going for regular walks, yoga lowered a person’s body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure just as effectively.

Study authors weren’t sure why yoga led to these health outcomes, but they credited stress reduction as one way the practice might help to improve practitioners’ heart function, as well as controlling the level of harmful inflammation in their bodies.

If you’re thinking about mastering yoga, there are some risks to consider. Read this before you hit the mats.