5 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Yoga

The practice of yoga has been around for centuries and is still relevant in today’s fast-paced culture. This system of postures, breathing techniques, and meditation has piqued the interest of all fitness levels and is especially appealing to those seeking balance and relaxation.

In recent years, there has been a growing body of research suggesting that yoga can provide a wide range of health benefits. From improved flexibility to stress reduction, let’s explore the far-reaching health benefits of this ancient practice.

What is Yoga?

The word “yoga” originates from the Sanskrit word “yuj,” which means “to unite.” The practice of yoga began in ancient India and served as a way to help unite the mind, body, and spirit.

Yoga is a system of physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation that are designed to promote health, encourage relaxation, and prompt spiritual growth.

The tradition of physical postures, also known as asanas, is foundational to the practice of yoga. These postures, which include everything from basic standing poses to more advanced inversions and backbends, help to strengthen and stretch the body, improve flexibility and balance, correct posture, and enhance overall physical fitness.

Additionally, yoga incorporates the practice of pranayama or breathing techniques. Breathing techniques serve as a way to regulate the breath, calm the mind, and reduce stress.

Meditation is often fundamental to the practice of yoga and involves focusing on a particular object, sound, or the breath. This can help increase awareness of the present moment, helps to curtail overthinking, and promotes relaxation.

There are a wide variety of different yoga styles, ranging from gentle practices to more physically intense ones. Some of the more popular styles of yoga include Hatha, Ashtanga, and Vinyasa yoga.

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The Benefits of Yoga

Due to the increased stress and pace of today’s society, people of all fitness levels are jumping on the yoga bandwagon to help tune out the noise, increase their fitness, and improve their overall health. The following yoga benefits can affect several aspects of wellness, including physical health, emotional health, stress management, and sleep.

1. Can help reduce stress

Juggling the demands of life including work, family, finances, and health can take its toll. In fact, according to The American Institute of Stress, a whopping 77% of people experience stress that affects their physical health, while a staggering 73% of people have stress that impacts their mental health (1).

By focusing on deep breathing and relaxation, yoga helps to suppress your body’s stress response by activating your parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” system.

In recent years, researchers have made some important connections between the stress response and yoga. One 2017 study found that practicing yoga for at least 3 months may help lower stress hormone levels (cortisol) in addition to perceived stress (2).

Another study, examining the benefits of yoga for women, found that practicing yoga reduced the effect stress has on the nervous system while helping to significantly reduce it (3).

READ MORE: Managing Stress in Chaotic Times

2. Enhances Flexibility

Flexibility is often overlooked in the fitness space where endurance training and weight lifting predominate. However, it’s important to note that practicing yoga ensures that you reach your fitness goals by keeping your body loose, limber, and well-conditioned.

One 2016 study found that practicing yoga for ten weeks helped to improve not only flexibility but also balance among college athletes (4). The research shows that regular yoga practice may help improve joint mobility and may even enhance athletic performance.

READ MORE: Up Your Fitness With Strategic Stretching

3. May improve your heart health

In recent years, yoga is being recognized as an alternative and complementary approach to enhancing the health of your heart. While yoga can improve your physical fitness, the breathing exercises, along with the meditation component may also lead to improvements in heart health.

One recent study found that after practicing yoga for 30 days, study participants had lower total cholesterol levels, decreased LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels (5).

An older review also found a link between yoga and heart health. In the 2014 study, researchers found that practicing yoga helped to reduce the heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels among the study participants (6).

4. May Enhance Your Sex Life

One of the benefits of yoga for men may be found in the bedroom as yoga appears to be linked with improvements in sexual health for men and women.

An older study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that men who practiced yoga for 12 weeks had improved sexual function, including increased satisfaction with sex and enhanced performance (7).

Yoga doesn’t benefit just men. The benefits of yoga for women also include improved sexual functioning. In one older study, researchers found that after 12 weeks of yoga, women’s sexual function had significantly improved including desire, arousal, lubrication, and overall satisfaction (8).

READ MORE: Men’s Sexual Health Tips: What You Should Know

5. Can Improve Sleep

Regular exercise, like yoga, is an important component of sleep hygiene, as studies have shown that moderate exercise several times a week can improve overall sleep (9). Additionally, the elements of deep breathing and meditation can help induce sleep and improve sleep quality.

One recent systematic review and meta-analysis including 19 studies found that practicing yoga was effective in helping to curb insomnia and improve sleep quality for women (10).

READ MORE: Wellness Starts with Sleep

The Bottom Line

Yoga’s unique combination of physical poses, coupled with deep breathing and mindfulness can help reduce your stress response which can provide far-reaching health benefits that go well beyond that of physical fitness. The health benefits of yoga are numerous and may include reduced stress, enhanced flexibility, improved heart health, enhanced sexual health for both men and women, and improved sleep.

There are many different styles of yoga to choose from that suit a wide range of fitness levels. When performed properly, yoga is considered a safe exercise, however, it’s always best to check with your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise routine.