If you’re living with a chronic illness, this is probably a question you’ve been asked. Maybe it came from well-meaning friends or family members. Or perhaps your doctor recommended that you try it. But now you feel lost in a sea of different classes and styles and you don’t know where to start.

The good news is a lot of people have found yoga to be a helpful tool for improving their health. The research is beginning to back up personal stories in this area. Yoga can reduce stress, anxiety, and fatigue in people living with chronic illness, and it can improve immune function. Yoga can also stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that helps you to rest and heal) and increase GABA levels in your body (GABA—gamma-amino butyric acid—is a neurotransmitter which can help calm the brain. Low levels of GABA have been linked to anxiety, depression, and insomnia).