List 16 proven benefits of practicing yoga for everyone.
Improve the flexibility of the body
Flexibility is an important component of physical health. Reduced flexibility is a natural phenomenon of human aging. Sports scientists at the University of Edinburgh in the UK have found that practicing yoga can slow down the aging process of physical function and improve the flexibility of the elderly.
Yoga has multiple styles for practitioners to choose from, ranging in intensity from low to high. Health scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that even practicing the lowest intensity yoga can improve body flexibility. Practicing yoga is particularly helpful in improving the physical flexibility of people over 65 years old.
relieve stress
Iranian nursing experts found that 52 middle-aged women who practiced yoga poses for 12 weeks experienced significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and stress.
Physical exercise is just one aspect of yoga. Public health experts at the University of California, San Diego have found that meditation, breathing, and auditory exercises (such as singing bowls) in yoga can significantly reduce tension and relieve stress.
Improving depression
Major depression is one of the most common mental disorders worldwide. Experts from Jackson State University in the United States believe that practicing yoga is an effective alternative therapy for treating severe depression.
Meanwhile, nursing experts at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in the United States have found that the movements and breathing exercises used in yoga can significantly improve symptoms of depression.
Reduce inflammation
Many precursors of chronic diseases are inflammation. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and Crohn’s disease are all related to long-term inflammation.
Nursing experts reviewed 15 existing studies and concluded that practicing yoga in different styles, intensities, and durations is associated with reducing inflammatory markers associated with various chronic diseases.
Enhance Strength
Although most people associate practicing yoga with stretching and improving flexibility, some types of yoga classes can also enhance strength, depending on the course level, practice methods, and instructor. This makes yoga postures a multimodal form of exercise.
The effectiveness of yoga in enhancing strength has been studied in specific contexts. Rehabilitation experts in Türkiye found that yoga for breast cancer survivors can improve their functional ability, reduce fatigue, enhance muscle strength and improve their quality of life.
Indian exercise physiologists have found that participants of different age groups and physical health who practice yoga experience increased strength.
Reduce anxiety
Anxiety disorder is the most common mental disorder in the adult population. Anxiety disorders have various manifestations, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias. Even chronic stress is sometimes classified as an anxiety disorder.
Psychologists have found that practicing various postures in yoga is an effective alternative therapy for anxiety disorders. At the same time, Brazilian neurobiologists have found that yoga meditation (a type of body scan/guided meditation) can be used to alleviate anxiety symptoms.
Improving the quality of life
Some factors that affect the quality of life include interpersonal relationships, creativity, learning opportunities, physical and mental health, and material enjoyment. For decades, researchers have regarded quality of life as an important predictor of longevity or improvement in the condition of chronic disease patients.
A meta-analysis conducted by rehabilitation physicians at West China Hospital of Sichuan University showed that practicing yoga can alleviate pain, improve mobility, and enhance the quality of life for patients with knee arthritis.
Boosting immunity
Behavioral scientists at Stanford University in the United States have found that chronic stress can have a negative impact on the immune system. When immune function is impaired, it is more likely to get sick. There is a clear correlation between long-term yoga practice and strong immune function. German behavioral medicine experts have found that this is partly due to yoga’s ability to combat inflammation and enhance cell-mediated immunity.
Improve balance function
Strong balance function not only helps practitioners achieve single leg standing posture, but it is also important for simple daily movements such as picking up things from the floor, reaching for high places, and walking down stairs.
American health scientists have found that after practicing yoga for 10 weeks, college athletes’ balance function has significantly improved. Coincidentally, scientists have also found that long-term practice of yoga in healthy individuals can improve balance function.
Falling can have serious consequences for certain populations, and even minor falls can increase the risk of death for the elderly. Swedish public health experts have found that older adults who persist in practicing yoga can improve their balance function.
Physiotherapists have found that yoga poses can also help improve balance function in patients with brain injuries. Adjusted yoga postures or practicing yoga on chairs are particularly helpful for elderly people or those with reduced mobility due to injuries.
Improve cardiovascular function
The breathing techniques used in yoga practice are beneficial for improving cardiovascular function. Indian researchers reviewed 1400 studies and examined the overall effectiveness of the interest adjustment method. The key conclusion drawn from the review is that breath regulation can improve the functions of several systems in the body.
Specifically, this breathing method has many benefits for the cardiovascular system, as it can improve heart rate, cardiac pumping function, arterial pressure, and cardiac contractility. The pranayama method actually improves function by affecting the cardiovascular center of the brain.
Improve sleep quality
When measuring sleep quality, how long it takes for a person to fall asleep and their ability to maintain a sleep state are important indicators.
Indian pharmacologists have found that practicing yoga can accelerate the speed of falling asleep and maintain the depth of sleep. This is partly related to the subsequent effects of exercise and the regulation of body and mind by yoga. Meanwhile, neurologists have found that yoga rest techniques are particularly helpful in improving the sleep quality of patients with chronic insomnia.
boost self-esteem
Teenagers and young people often place special emphasis on body image and self-esteem. Epidemiologists have found that practicing yoga has a positive effect on improving body image and boosting self-esteem in these populations.
Enhance bone health
Yoga postures can also reverse bone loss associated with osteoporosis and osteoporosis. American orthopedic surgeons have found that practicing yoga for only 12 minutes a day can significantly improve bone health.
Meanwhile, rehabilitation medicine experts in India have found that performing isometric contraction exercises that require bending of joints (such as Warrior II) can increase bone density.
Many postures in yoga involve isometric contractions, and although the corresponding muscles are fully mobilized, the length of the muscles that maintain this posture remains unchanged. For example, the flatbed is a push up movement similar to an upward movement, where the muscles of the arms, torso, and legs of the exerciser participate, but these muscle groups do not shorten or elongate like push ups.
Improve body posture
In modern society highly dependent on technology, people are sitting for longer periods of time or bending over in front of electronic devices. However, Hungarian sports scientists have found that practicing yoga for 10 weeks can improve the central abilities in the brain responsible for internal sensation (recognizing sensations inside the body) and posture.
In addition, as yoga focuses on mobility and flexibility, it helps to relax tight muscles such as the hamstring and increase the range of motion of the spine.
Improve brain function
Yoga is a true physical and mental exercise. American sports engineers have found that practicing yoga activates regions of the brain responsible for motivation, executive function, attention, and neural plasticity.
Reduce occupational burnout
Occupational burnout is affecting an increasing number of professionals. Media and information scientists at Michigan State University in the United States have found that meditation interventions in yoga significantly alleviate the adverse effects of occupational burnout on employees by increasing their internal sensory awareness (noticing signals inside the body and responding correctly).
This means that practicing yoga helps maintain consistency between actions and body signals.
