Yoga offers some obvious benefits: stress reduction, muscular flexibility, an enhanced sense of well-being, even cute clothes. But does it qualify as an aerobic workout?

Aerobic activity, characterized by an elevated heart rate and increase in the body’s use of oxygen, is closely linked to improved health and prolonged life spans; current guidelines suggest that people get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise each week. Scant research has examined whether yoga is exercise under those guidelines, though. Now two new studies in Complementary Therapies in Medicine indicate that it can be, at least if it’s done rapidly.

The practice of yoga in America typically consists of bodily poses interspersed with or followed by breathing exercises and meditation. The most famous movements are incorporated into the sun salutation, a series of poses that includes the downward-facing dog, among others. These are usually performed near the start of yoga classes and can be among their most physically demanding segments. Yet according to a 2016 review of yoga research, the energy expended by those who move slowly during sun salutations generally compares to the demands of a stroll at three miles per hour. (This was the case for both standard yoga and the poses used in Bikram-style hot yoga.)