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For thousands of years, yogis have extolled the mental and physical benefits of yoga. Fortunately, you don’t have to be an expert to reap the benefits — simply incorporating a few poses into your daily routine can improve your health in unexpected ways.
A growing body of research also suggests that regular yoga practice may benefit people with a variety of chronic health conditions, such as asthma, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis. Although the literature on yoga is not as well established as the practice itself, much work has been done. Here’s what we know so far.
Yoga Boosts Emotional Health and Relieves Stress
Yoga, like any other form of exercise, boosts energy and mood. Many people who practice it do so for the benefits of relaxation and stress management. (1) According to a review published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology in 2017, yoga interventions are linked to improved objective measures of stress levels in the body, such as lower evening cortisol levels, lower waking cortisol levels, and lower resting heart rate.
According to Manuela Kogon, MD, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford Health Care and an internal medicine doctor at Stanford University’s Center for Integrative Medicine in California, yoga can provide emotional health benefits because it is an exercise that works both the body and the mind.
Individuals with and without mental health issues can both benefit, she says. According to a review published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, yoga can benefit people suffering from depression and schizophrenia.
Yoga May Help You Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Yoga’s associated relaxation can be beneficial to sleep.
Relaxing asanas, or postures, such as forward fold (Uttanasana) or lying on your back with your feet up the wall, can help you relax shortly before bedtime. “They’ll help calm your body and, most importantly, your mind,” says the author.
Yoga May Help With Chronic Back Pain
“Yoga relieves back pain because it improves flexibility and muscular strength,” says Kogon. According to research, yoga is a more effective treatment for chronic back pain than standard care for improving back function.
If you do have back pain, opt for gentler types of yoga, like hatha or Iyengar, rather than more vigorous practices, to avoid injury, Kogon says. Remember, if you have a back problem or another medical condition, you should always consult with your doctor before beginning a new type of physical activity.
Yoga Helps Fight Against Heart Disease
Yoga has a growing body of evidence that it can help your heart. According to a review published, several studies suggest that yoga can help reduce known heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.
Another study of heart failure patients found that adding eight weeks of yoga to their treatment increased their capacity for exercise, improved their heart health, and improved their overall quality of life compared to patients who did not do yoga in addition to regular treatment.
“Yoga increases blood flow and gets oxygen to the body’s periphery while also relaxing blood vessels, which is beneficial in heart failure.” “It reduces the workload on the heart,” says Kogon.
Physical activity, breathing exercises, and meditation are all known to help buffer cardiovascular disease risk factors individually, so it’s not surprising that studies have found yoga (which combines all three) helps do the same.
Gentle Yoga Movements Can Ease Arthritis Pain
Regular exercise can help keep joints flexible, muscles toned, and weight under control, which is what people with arthritis require to manage pain. According to the Arthritis Foundation, yoga is a great way for people with arthritis to stay active because the gentle pace of movement is less stressful than other types of workouts. Research has linked yoga practice to reduced pain and improved joint function in people with various types of arthritis.
“We hypothesize that increased flexibility, increased muscle strength, and stress reduction are modifying factors in arthritis pain.” There is no hard evidence that one type of yoga is better than another for pain. As always, if you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before trying a new type of physical activity.
Yoga May Help Ease Asthma Symptoms
Yoga has not been proven to be a cure for asthma, but there is some evidence that it may help with symptoms. Yoga was associated with improvements in quality of life and symptom management for people with moderate asthma, according to a review published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2016.
However, more research is needed to determine the mechanisms by which yoga helps and whether it improves lung function (which causes asthma in the first place).
Yoga, according to Kogon, makes sense because breathing exercises help relax the muscles in different parts of our lungs, which tighten and tense up during an asthma attack.
Asthma attacks can be quite stressful. Controlled breathing helps reduce stress which in turn helps regulate breathing,” she explains.
Yoga Can Help People With Multiple Sclerosis Manage Symptoms
Multiple sclerosis can be frustrating because of the loss of muscle function, coordination, and other issues, but some research suggests that yoga may help with MS by improving both physical function and mood. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, practicing yoga can help with day-to-day functioning by improving balance and muscle alignment, strengthening muscles, and promoting relaxation, which helps with overall stress levels.
According to research, regular yoga practice improved flexibility as well as quality of life factors such as fatigue, well-being, and energy levels in people with MS.
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