While popular culture and marketing would have us believe otherwise, yoga is much more than just a series of physical postures. It also involves a variety of spiritual and self-disciplined practises, such as meditation, chanting, mantra, prayer, breath work, ritual, and selfless action.
Asanas refer to the physical poses and exercises that make up the tradition. Although studies on yoga’s health benefits are still in their infancy, what little there is suggests what It’s adherents have known for millennia: This is excellent for our well-being on all levels.
Here we’ll take a closer look
Yoga makes you more flexible
In 2016, Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance, two most prominent organisations, surveyed people all over the world to collect data on yoga’s growing popularity and try to put a number on the practice’s value.
In surveys, respondents most frequently cited the desire to “increase flexibility” as their motivation to start practise.
The ability to bend and move freely is crucial to good physical condition. Practises can range from being extremely strenuous to being extremely mild. Flexibleness can be improved by even the least strenuous of training methods.
The flexibility of people aged 65 and up appears to benefit especially from practise. A 2019 study found that Its not only slowed the loss of flexibility that comes with ageing but also improved flexibility in older adults.
Yoga is a great way to de-stress.
Recent reports from the American Psychological Association indicate that a whopping 84% of adult Americans are feeling the effects of stress. Accordingly, it is not surprising that the desire to reduce stress was the second most popularly chosen reason for practising. The good news is that yoga, and particularly asana, is highly effective at alleviating stress.
But the physical exercise is only a small part. Meditation, breathwork, and sound rituals like chanting and sound baths are all effective ways to relieve tension and stress.
The mental benefits of yoga are significant, as well.
Some estimates place major depressive disorder (MDD) among the most prevalent mental health issues people face. It has been widely accepted as a viable alternative treatment for MDD since a 2017 meta-analysis of 23 interventions examining its effects on depressive symptoms reached that conclusion.
Yoga treatments that focus on movement and treatments that focus on breathing have both been shown to be effective in alleviating depression.
May reduce inflammation
Chronic inflammation is frequently the first sign of impending illness. Prolonged inflammation is associated with many different diseases and conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and many others. The biochemical markers of inflammation in a variety of chronic conditions were found to be decreased after practising of varying styles, intensities, and durations, according to a review of 15 separate studies.
Strength training with yoga is a surefire way to get stronger.
Most people think of yoga as a way to increase flexibility, but there are also classes that focus on building strength. It all depends on the course, the method, and the instructor. Because of this, Asana is not just a single type of physical activity.
Strength gains from yoga have been investigated in a variety of settings, including those of people with breast cancer, the elderly, and young children.
Yoga was found to be an effective strength-building practise across a wide range of ages and levels of health in another study involving air force personnel.
It could help with stress and worry.
Anxiety disorders may be the most common form of mental illness in the United States, according to recent research from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Different types of anxiety disorders include GAD, social anxiety, and phobias. Anxiety disorders can include even persistent stress.
Despite many studies suggesting that asana may be effective as an alternative treatment for anxiety disorders, a number of researchers have called for more replicated studies before drawing any firm conclusions.
May enhance well-being, according to some research.
Quality of life (QOL) is “an individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns,” as defined by the World Health Organization. Relationships, creativity, learning opportunities, health, and material comforts are just some of the aspects of life that contribute to quality of life. Life expectancy and the likelihood of recovery from chronic illness or injury have both been linked to quality of life for decades. It may help people with chronic pain improve their quality of life, according to a 2019 meta-analysis.
May be beneficial for your health because it strengthens your immune system.
Your immune system will weaken if you’re under stress for an extended period of time. If your immune system is weak, you are more likely to get sick. As we’ve already established, however, yoga is one alternative treatment for stress that has solid scientific support. While more studies are needed, preliminary findings suggest a correlation between regular practise (especially over the long term) and enhanced immune system health.
Part of the reason for this is that boosts cell-mediated immunity and helps reduce inflammation.
It is good for your balance.
Standing on one leg in Tree Pose isn’t the only time that balance is a factor in a yoga practise. Everyday activities that involve moving your arms and legs, such as picking something up off the floor, reaching for an item on a shelf, or descending a flight of stairs, all necessitate it. Research shows that it can boost athletic performance and stability.
Similarly, research on healthy populations suggests that regular practise may benefit most people’s sense of balance.
However, for some groups, falling can have devastating consequences. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that even minor falls significantly increase the risk of death for elderly people living in nursing homes.
It may help older people’s balance, according to recent studies.
Before any broad conclusions can be made, however, more studies with sufficiently large samples are required.
Asana practise can help those with brain injuries regain their equilibrium.
People who are less mobile due to age or injury, or who have balance issues, may benefit greatly from practising adaptive yoga or chair yoga.
May enhance heart health.
Pranayama, also known as “yogic breathing,” is an integral and highly beneficial part. A meta-analysis of 1,400 studies on the effects of pranayama was published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. An important realisation was that yogic breathing can have a beneficial effect on many different bodily systems.
Controlling one’s breathing rate has been shown to have significant positive effects on cardiovascular health, as evidenced by improvements in blood pressure, cardiac output, and systolic function.
This study provides further evidence that yogic breathing techniques can positively affect the cardiorespiratory control centre of the brain.
May be beneficial for getting a better night’s rest.
Researchers evaluate a subject’s sleep by observing how long it takes them to go to sleep and how long they sleep once they do. One or both of these may be impacted by insomnia.
The quality and duration of sleep have both been shown to benefit from practising yoga. This is attributable in part to exercise’s knock-on effects, as well as to the stress-reducing and meditative effects of yoga.
Numerous studies show that yoga nidra is particularly helpful at improving sleep, possibly because it reduces anxiety.
The practise of yoga may boost confidence.
Adolescents and young adults often have a particularly difficult time with body image and self-esteem. The good news is that a growing body of research supports the use of yoga to boost confidence and body image in these groups.
There is encouraging data suggesting that yoga can alleviate the obsession, anxiety, and depression that often accompany anorexia nervosa.
Yoga may be beneficial for bone health.
Many yoga poses involve isometric contractions, in which the muscles are actively contracted but their length does not change.
If you think of Plank Pose as an upper pushup position, you’ll see that it engages your arms, trunk, and legs without causing them to shorten or lengthen like they would if you were actually performing a pushup.
The lead leg in Warrior II is bent at the hip and the knee. Bone density can be increased through isometric exercise, particularly when the joints are flexed.
Osteopenia and osteoporosis are both characterised by bone loss, but yoga asana may help reverse this process. Just 12 minutes of yoga per day has been shown to have a significant effect on bone health.
However, it should be noted that the research on the effect of yoga on bone density has been contradictory, making any firm conclusions about the topic impossible to make at this time.
Improved body awareness and posture are just two of the many benefits of yoga.
As a tech-dependent modern society, we’re spending an inordinate amount of time hunched over our screens.
A meta-analysis of 34 studies concluded, however, that yoga enhanced brain functioning in regions in charge of interoception (the awareness of bodily sensations) and posture.
The emphasis on mobility and flexibility in yoga also helps with alignment by relaxing frequently tense muscles (like the hamstrings) and increasing spinal flexibility.
Improve your posture while working out by doing yoga poses during rest periods.
Yoga has been shown to enhance brain function.
Evidence suggests that yoga is beneficial for both the mind and the body.
According to the aforementioned review, yoga practise stimulates regions of the brain involved in emotion regulation, decision making, attention, and neuroplasticity.
Asana practise can alleviate burnout
It appears that burnout, defined as “excessive fatigue severe enough to impair performance or health,” is more common than ever.
Recently, yoga-based meditation interventions were found to significantly lessen the effects of burnout in the hospice sector during the 2009 COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to no intervention at all.
This is the awareness of and responsiveness to one’s own internal cues; practising yoga may increase one’s receptivity to and awareness of such signals.
In conclusion
Although studies are still in their infancy, they are promising and lend credence to what yoga advocates have been saying for thousands of years: that yoga is good for our health.
Yoga encompasses a wide variety of practises, the vast majority of which are sedentary in nature and instead centre on various forms of meditation. Performing acts of karmic or charitable service can also be considered yoga.
You can practise yoga on a daily basis because its benefits extend beyond the body.
To get the most out of your yoga practise, experiment with different approaches until you find what feels right for you.
