Yoga is gaining popularity as an alternative treatment but knowledge of its effects remains limited, particularly among patients with chronic conditions. This randomized controlled pilot-study investigated immediate and long-term effects of a hatha yogic exercises (YE) program as compared to a conventional training program (CTP) on healthrelated outcomes including anxiety, depression, stress, sleep quality, insomnia, and subjective health complaints (SHC). Patients with obstructive pulmonary disorders (N ¼ 36) were randomized into YE (n ¼ 19) or CTP (n ¼ 17). The YE included a newly developed 12-week program, adapted to the patient group, with two weekly classes delivered by experienced certified instructors. CTP training involved an individually tailored CTP. Questionnaire data were collected at baseline, at 12 weeks, and at a 6-month follow-up. ANOVAs comparing YE and CTP showed statistically significant interaction effects for anxiety and stress. In both groups, effects on anxiety were weak. Decreased stress was found in the CTP only. Separate analyses of each intervention showed consistently and increasing sleep quality in the YE-group between baseline and the 6-month follow-up, and decreasing SHC between baseline and the 12-week followup. For CTP, statistically significant effects emerged for both stress and SHC between baseline and the two follow-ups. Overall, comparisons showed more consistent effects of CTP, but for stress only. The findings suggest that YE and CTP effect different outcomes. This points at the importance of deciding which outcome to target when choosing between treatment alternatives.Abbreviations: YE: hatha yogic exercises; FEV 1 : forced expiratory volume in one second