Before yoga as exercise was mainstream, Dr. Dean Ornish began researching how lifestyle changes can impact one's health. In the 1983 Pilot study Dr. Dean Ornish showed that even severe heart disease could be reversed by the Ornish Program, as demonstrated by improved blood flow to the heart after only 30 days. With 37 years of scientific evidence, the Ornish program shows that changes in diet and lifestyle can make a powerful difference in your heart function and overall well-being. The Ornish program is not a yoga program, but it mirrors the themes of yoga and offers participants opportunities to practice yoga. The rigorous program has you look at four important areas of your life: how you manage stress, how much love and support you have, how much you move and what you eat.