How yoga is beneficial to your health
An increasing body of evidence shows that yoga is good for our health and wellbeing. Indeed, current research shows that yoga may have the following benefits:
- General health and wellbeing
- Improved body awareness (a better awareness when and where there is stress, pain, tiredness) and improved health
- Increased wellbeing
- Increased quality of life in people with chronic diseases and conditions, including menopause, cancers (e.g. breast and colorectal cancer), multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes etc.
- Improved sleep quality
- Decreased fatigue
- Improved breathing
- Improves mobility, flexibility and balance and body strength
- Specific diseases and conditions
- Decreased inflammation
- Decreased pain (e.g. chronic lower back pain, chronic neck pain, arthritis)
- Decreased migraines and headaches
- Improved mental health
- Decreased stress and anxiety
- Decreased depression
- Improved cardiovascular function
- Regulated high blood pressure
- Improved heart health
- Decreased cardiovascular risk
- Improved respiratory function
- Decreased asthma symptoms
- Decreased COPD symptoms
- Improved digestive function
- Relieved irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, including pain, constipation and diarrhoea
- Improved glycaemic control in diabetics
- Habits and lifestyle
- Increased motivation to eat healthy
- Increased motivation to quit smoking
Yoga is a good practice, but its health benefits depend on the type of yoga and its intensity among other factors.
References
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-benefits-of-yoga#section14
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3447533/
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga/introduction.htm
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-athletes-way/201403/yoga-has-potent-health-benefits
https://www.vox.com/2015/7/22/9012075/yoga-health-benefits-exercise-science
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/yoga-health-benefits_b_7853856