While modern media and advertising may have us think that yoga is all about physical poses, the entirety of yoga includes a wide range of contemplative and self-disciplinary practices, such as meditation, chanting, mantra, prayer, breath work, ritual, and even selfless action.
The word “yoga” comes from the root word “yuj,” which means “to yoke” or “to bind.” The word itself has numerous meanings, from an astrological conjunction to matrimony, with the underlying theme being connection.
Yoga asana is the physical practice and postures of yoga.
The scientific research into yoga’s benefits is still somewhat preliminary, but much of the evidence so far supports what practitioners seem to have known for millennia: Yoga is incredibly beneficial to our overall well-being.
Let’s look at 10 of the many benefits of yoga in greater depth.
- Improves Flexibility
In an effort to determine the worth of yoga in the face of its rising popularity, two of the industry’s main organizations, Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance, undertook a global survey in 2016.
The most popular justification given for doing yoga was to “improve flexibility.”
Physical health includes flexibility as a key element. There are numerous yoga types available, with levels of difficulty ranging from high to light. It has been discovered that styles of even the lowest intensity promote flexibility.
In an effort to determine the worth of yoga in the face of its rising popularity, two of the industry’s main organizations, Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance, undertook a global survey in 2016.
The most popular justification given for doing yoga was to “improve flexibility.”
Physical health includes flexibility as a key element. There are numerous yoga types available, with levels of difficulty ranging from high to light. It has been discovered that styles of even the lowest intensity promote flexibility.
- Stress Relief
84 percent of American people, according to the American Psychological Association, are experiencing the effects of chronic stress.
So it makes sense that reducing stress was the second most frequently reported reason given for why individuals practise yoga. Thankfully, research shows that yoga, and particularly asana, is quite effective at lowering stress levels.
But keep in mind that yoga is more than just physical exercise. Additionally demonstrated to greatly reduce tension and relieve stress include meditation, breath practise, and auditory rituals like chanting and sound baths.
- Improves mental health
One of the most prevalent mental health conditions in the world is major depressive disorder (MDD).
A 2017 meta-analysis of 23 trials that examined how yoga-based therapies affected depressive symptoms came to the resounding conclusion that yoga is now a viable alternative treatment for MDD.
Depressive symptoms have been demonstrated to be greatly improved by both breathing-based treatments and yoga therapies that involve movement.
- Reduces Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is frequently the first sign of sickness. Prolonged inflammation has been associated with heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and numerous other illnesses.
A review that looked at 15 research articles came to the following conclusion: Yoga, in a variety of forms, intensities, and lengths, decreased the biochemical indicators of inflammation in a number of chronic diseases.
- Increases strength
Although most people think of yoga as a way to stretch and become more flexible, some yoga programmes can also be thought of as strength-building exercises. Simply put, it depends on the teacher, method, and class level. Yoga asana is a multimodal kind of exercise as a result.
Yoga’s capacity to increase strength has been examined in a variety of scenarios, including those involving children, older persons, and those with breast cancer.
Yoga was proven to be an efficient strength-building technique across several age groups of healthy volunteers in another study on air force personnel.
- Reduces Anxiety
According to a recent report by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders may be the most prevalent mental health conditions in the country.
There are many different types of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder. Sometimes even long-term stress qualifies as an anxiety condition.
Numerous studies indicate that yoga asana may be useful as a complementary therapy for anxiety disorders, however some of the researchers want more replicated research before drawing any firm conclusions.
Yoga nidra, a body scan/guided meditation, has been proven to significantly lessen the signs and symptoms of anxiety.
- Improves quality of Life
Quality of life (QOL) is described by the World Health Organization as “an individual’s view of their place in life in relation to their goals, expectations, 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 a few aspects that influence QOL.
For many years, researchers have considered quality of life (QOL) as a crucial indicator of people’s longevity and the possibility that patients will get better when receiving treatment for a chronic illness or injury.
A 2019 meta-analysis found that yoga may have a positive impact on patients’ quality of life.
- Boosts Immunity
Your immune system suffers when you are under constant stress.
You are more prone to sickness when your immune system is weak. However, as was previously said, yoga is regarded as an alternate stress-reduction strategy with scientific support.
Even while the research is still in its early stages, certain studies have discovered a clear connection between practicing yoga regularly over time and having a healthier immune system.
This is caused in part by the anti-inflammatory properties of yoga as well as the improvement of cell-mediated immunity.
- Improves balance
Not only is balance crucial when performing the yoga pose known as Tree Pose while standing on one leg. Additionally, it is necessary for everyday tasks like picking something up off the floor, reaching up to a shelf, and going down stairs.
Athletes’ overall performance and balance have been demonstrated to improve with yoga.
Similarly, a review of studies on healthy populations indicates that regular yoga practise may help most people’s balance.
Still, for some people, dropping can have negative consequences. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that even the smallest of falls among elderly residents of nursing homes can increase the chance of death.
Recent studies indicate that yoga can help older populations’ balance.
But before a broad conclusion can be made, more research with bigger sample sizes is required.
Yoga poses can also aid those with brain injuries in regaining their equilibrium.
Those who are older, less mobile due to ailments, or who have balance issues may benefit most from chair yoga or adaptive yoga.
- Improves cardiovascular functioning
The practice of pranayama, often known as “yogic breathing,” is a crucial and advantageous component of yoga.
An analysis of 1,400 papers investigating the overall effects of pranayama was published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. The ability of yogic breathing to enhance the performance of numerous bodily systems was one of the main lessons learned.
In particular, the studies presented in the review discovered that reducing the rate of breathing has significant positive effects on the cardiovascular system, as shown by improvements in heart rate, stroke capacity, arterial pressure, and heart contractility.
This study suggests that practicing yoga breathing can enhance the cardiorespiratory center of the brain.
