While modern media and advertising may lead us to believe that yoga is only about physical poses, yoga encompasses a wide range of contemplative and self-disciplinary activities, including meditation, chanting, mantra, prayer, breath work, ritual, and even altruistic action.
"Yoga" is derived from the root word "yuj," which meaning "to yoke" or "to bind." The term itself has a variety of connotations, ranging from an astronomical conjunction to nuptials, with the underlying notion of connectedness at its core.
Yoga asana are the physical postures and practices of yoga.
Although scientific study into the advantages of yoga is still in its early stages, much of the information thus far confirms what practitioners appear to have understood for millennia: yoga is extremely good to our general well-being.
Let's take a closer look at 15 of yoga's numerous perks.
1. Yoga enhances flexibility
In 2016, two of yoga's top organizations, Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance, undertook a global study examining a range of facts regarding yoga in an attempt to quantify its worth in the face of its growing popularity.
The most common reason given for performing yoga was to "improve flexibility."
Physical health relies heavily on flexibility. Yoga comes in a variety of styles, ranging in intensity from intense to moderate to light. Even low-intensity forms have been shown to improve flexibility.
Yoga appears to be particularly beneficial for increasing flexibility in persons 65 and older. Reduced flexibility is a normal aspect of aging, and according to a 2019 study, yoga both reduced loss and restored flexibility in older persons.
2. Yoga assists in reducing stress
According to the American Psychological Association, 84 percent of American people are experiencing the effects of chronic stress.
So it seems to reason that the second most often reported reason for doing yoga was to reduce stress. Fortunately, research shows that yoga, particularly asana, is effective for stress reduction.
But keep in mind that physical practice is only one part of yoga. Meditation, breathing exercises, and auditory rituals such as chanting and sound baths have all been demonstrated to considerably reduce tension and stress.
3. Yoga is beneficial to one's mental health
One of the most frequent mental health problems in the world is major depressive disorder (MDD).
A 2017 meta-analysis of 23 interventions examining the impact of yoga-based therapies on depressive symptoms found that yoga is now an effective alternative treatment for MDD.
Both movement-based yoga treatments and breathing-based techniques have been demonstrated to reduce depressed symptoms considerably.
4. Yoga may help to lessen inflammation
Chronic inflammation is frequently the forerunner to sickness. Prolonged inflammation has been related to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Crohn's disease, and a variety of other illnesses.
One study analyzed 15 research studies and discovered a consistent finding: Yoga of various styles, intensities, and durations was found to lower biochemical indicators of inflammation in a variety of chronic diseases.
5. Yoga will almost certainly boost your strength
While most people identify yoga with stretching and flexibility, other forms of yoga programs can also be thought of as strength-building exercises. It all depends on the level of the class, the approach, and the teacher. As a result, yoga asana is a multimodal kind of exercise.
Yoga's usefulness in improving strength has been investigated in a variety of circumstances, including patients with breast cancer, older folks, and children.
Another study on air force personnel discovered yoga to be an excellent strength-building technique across a wide range of age groups of healthy individuals.
6. Yoga may lessen anxiety
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders may be the most frequent mental health illnesses in the United States.
Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and particular phobias. Chronic stress is sometimes classified as an anxiety condition.
Numerous studies show that yoga asana may be useful as an alternative treatment for anxiety disorders, while several of the experts would like to see more repeated trials before making a definitive statement.
Yoga nidra, a body scan/guided meditation, has been demonstrated to significantly alleviate anxiety symptoms.
7. Yoga has the potential to improve one's quality of life
The World Health Organization defines quality of life (QOL) as "an individual's view of their place in life in relation to their goals, aspirations, standards, and concerns in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live".
Relationships, creativity, learning opportunities, health, and material comforts are all variables that influence QOL.
For decades, experts have considered quality of life (QOL) to be a key predictor of people's lifespan and patients' chances of recovery when treated for a chronic disease or injury.
A 2019 meta-analysis found that yoga has the potential to increase QOL in patients suffering from chronic pain.
8. Yoga may improve immunity
Chronic stress has a harmful impact on your immune system.
When your immunity is weakened, you are more vulnerable to sickness. However, as previously said, yoga is regarded as a scientifically supported alternative stress therapy.
The study is still in its early stages, but several studies have discovered a clear correlation between practicing yoga (particularly regularly over time) and improved immune system function.
This is attributed, in part, to yoga's capacity to combat inflammation as well as the strengthening of cell-mediated immunity.
9. Yoga can help you improve your balance
Balance is vital not just while trying to stand on one leg in Tree Pose in yoga class. It's also required for ordinary everyday tasks like picking something up off the floor, reaching up to a shelf, and descending stairs.
Yoga has been proved to improve athletes' balance and overall performance.
Similarly, a review of research performed on healthy populations reveals that most people's balance may improve after routinely practicing yoga.
Nonetheless, falling can have catastrophic consequences for particular people. Falls are quite prevalent among elderly people in nursing homes, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and even minor ones can raise the risk of mortality.
Yoga, according to new research, can enhance balance in elderly people.
More research with larger sample numbers, however, are required before a general conclusion can be formed.
Yoga asana can also assist persons with brain damage improve their balance.
Adaptive yoga or chair yoga can be especially beneficial for elderly folks or those with injuries who are less mobile or have difficulty with balance.
10. Yoga may enhance cardiovascular performance
Pranayama, often known as "yogic breathing," is an essential and useful part of yoga.
A review of 1,400 papers on the overall effects of pranayama was published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. One important conclusion was that yogic breathing can enhance the functioning of various physiological systems.
The studies reported in the review indicated that managing the tempo of breathing helped the cardiovascular system significantly, as demonstrated by beneficial changes in heart rate, stroke capacity, arterial pressure, and cardiac contractility.
According to this study, yogic breathing can improve the functioning of the brain's cardiorespiratory center.
11. Yoga may help you sleep better
Researchers focus at a person's capacity to fall and stay asleep while assessing sleep. Insomnia can have an impact on one or both of these features.
Yoga has been demonstrated to increase both the speed with which people fall asleep and the depth with which they sleep. This is due in part to the aftereffects of exercise, as well as the mental relaxing and stress reduction afforded by yoga in particular.
Numerous studies demonstrate that yoga nidra is very effective at enhancing sleep, in addition to (or maybe because of) anxiety reduction.
12. Yoga may boost self-esteem
Body image and self-esteem are frequently difficult for teens and young adults. The good news is that numerous recent research demonstrate that adopting yoga to improve self-esteem and perceived body image in these populations yields favorable benefits.
Yoga may also assist with the concomitant symptoms of preoccupation, anxiety, and despair in people with anorexia nervosa, according to preliminary research.
13. Yoga may benefit bone health
Many yoga poses have isometric contractions, which means that the length of the muscles holding the stance does not vary even when they are completely engaged.
In Plank Pose, an upper pushup posture, for example, the arms, trunk, and legs are all engaged without shortening or extending as they would in a pushup.
In Warrior II, you stand with your lead leg bent at the hip and knee. Isometric workouts have been shown to promote bone density, especially when performed with the joints in flexion.
Yoga asana may also help to reverse bone loss caused by osteopenia and osteoporosis. According to one research, just 12 minutes of yoga every day can greatly enhance bone health.
However, it's crucial to remember that research on the influence of yoga on bone density has been varied, and hence inconclusive, thus far.
14. Yoga can help with posture and body awareness
As a technologically dependent modern culture, we appear to be spending an increasing amount of time sitting or bent over electronics.
However, a recent meta-analysis of 34 research papers discovered a developing pattern: yoga increased brain functioning in the areas responsible for interoception (recognizing feelings in your body) and posture.
Furthermore, yoga's emphasis on mobility and flexibility can contribute to better alignment by releasing often tense muscles, such as the hamstrings, and enhancing spine mobility.
Doing yoga positions during workout breaks can also help with posture.
15. Yoga can alleviate burnout
Burnout — extreme weariness that has a negative impact on one's health — appears to be at an all-time high.
A recent research of burnout among hospice workers during the COVID-19 epidemic discovered that yoga-based meditation therapies dramatically reduced the impacts of burnout by boosting interoceptive awareness.
This is the capacity to recognize internal cues and respond properly, implying that yoga can help people become more in tune with, and more inclined to listen to, their bodies' messages.