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Increased confidence – Research from the University of California in Berkeley find women who practiced regularly rated their body satisfaction 20 percent higher than did those who took aerobics, even though both groups were at a healthy weight.
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Weight loss -Alan Kristal, DPH, MPH, and colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle led a trial involving 15,500 healthy, middle-aged men and women. “Those practicing yoga who were overweight to start with lost about 5 pounds during the same time period those not practicing yoga gained 14 pounds,” says Kristal.
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Zero travel time – a home practice allows you to fit your yoga practice into your time, not a studio’s schedule. And there is no commute!
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Building muscle tone -Nicholas DiNubile, M.D. says “Yoga can be just as effective as weights when it comes to building a stronger, more impressive physique.”
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A Healthy back -People with lower back pain who did a yoga class a week for about six months eased soreness by 56 percent, a study in Spine shows. Those given treatments like pain meds and physical therapy lessened the hurt by only 16 percent. Posing improves posture and strengthens back muscles to keep aches at bay, researchers say.
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Lower stress levels – A number of studies have shown that yoga can help reduce stress and anxiety. It can also enhance your mood and overall sense of well-being.
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Lower blood pressure -Numerous studies show that yoga therapy can be a great remedy for high blood pressure, with results showing up in as little as twelve weeks.
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Better balance – Studies are showing yoga’s positive effects on balance. Yoga improves balance because it’s complex—it includes the mind and the body, and helps to coordinate movements.
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Stronger bones – According to physician and yoga expert Mary Schatz, M.D., yoga can stimulate the bones to retain calcium. It does this through weight-bearing poses that affect the whole spine, arms, shoulders, elbows, legs, knees, ankles, and feet, while encouraging full range of motion.
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A Happier outlook – One hour of yoga helped to raise levels of the brain chemical GABA (low levels are linked with depression) by 27 percent compared with a group who read quietly, a study from Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital reports.
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Improved lung capacity – Even in a study of young and healthy people! “Chest wall expansion allows individuals to get more air to the base of the lung,” explained researcher Raoyrin Chanavirut, “Greater expansion of the chest wall provides more oxygen with each breath and requires less effort to breathe.”
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Lower risk of heart disease – Dean Ornish, heart md explains, “Chronic emotional stress makes plaque build up twice as fast in the coronary arteries that feed the heart. Stress also causes the coronary arteries to constrict, reducing blood flow to the heart.” Yoga is perhaps the most effective stress-reduction method ever invented.
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Better sleep – Insomniacs fell asleep 15 minutes faster and slept an hour longer each night after two months of doing a 45-minute series of yoga poses daily before bed. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital speculate that regular practice helped people relax, making it easier to switch off.
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Reduce anxiety – A wide range of yoga practices reduce the impact of exaggerated stress responses and can be helpful for both anxiety and depression.
- Better sex – Yoga helps reduce anxiety, increase body awareness and even speed the release of arousal hormones. Experts say that translates to a boost in libido, lubrication and ability to achieve orgasm.
Which one is your favorite? Why are you drawn to yoga? Let’s get the discussion started! Please share your answer in the comments below.
Be well,
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