Not sure whether yoga is worth your time? These five benefits — including flexibility and relief from anxiety — can make up your mind!
It has taken science a very long time to catch up with what yoga professionals are saying all along: yoga is more than just a means to get flexible.
Some people indeed make. Additionally, there are people using science to promote yoga as some kind of miracle cure. Unfortunately, these myths and claims are common to virtually any sort of exercise.
But there are recognized and actual advantages to regular yoga practice that have loads of evidence to back them up. Let us take a look at five examples.
1. IMPROVED MUSCULAR FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE
The benefits of yoga training are balance and flexibility.
These advantages will come as no surprise. Holding the range of poses is challenging even for the typical course attendee — let alone for seasoned yogis!
Together with stability and flexibility, holding the various positions also helps strengthens the muscles (they are effectively an isometric workout).
There’s loads of science to back this up. A study in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, as an instance, discovered that people who practiced yoga improved their flexibility up to four times that.
This benefit is limited to people that are young either. There is evidence to suggest that people can improve their freedom and balance with yoga, which might prevent falls.
Note: Particular forms of yoga might be beneficial for people that wish to lose weight. Have a look at our Yoga Burn review to learn more.
2. RELIEF FROM ANXIETY
Anxiety is an issue in the modern world. It can greatly impact an individual’s quality of life and may vary from mild feelings of unease through to serious panic attacks.
Should you suffer from anxiety, you’re going to be interested to know that yoga has been demonstrated to alleviate stress and to decrease the signs. The most famous study asked around 30 women to have a yoga class. After two months of classes, the researchers discovered it to be lower and analyzed their levels of anxiety.
There’s no consensus about yoga can decrease anxiety. It may be something related to the mindfulness practice that’s built into yoga.
Whatever the reason, a lot of men and women feel calmer and more in control.
3. REDUCES CHRONIC LOWER BACK AND NECK PAIN
Yoga practice with a teacher focuses on poses that are holding, therefore it helps prevent slouched shoulders and other postural issues.
There is also evidence that yoga might be an effective way of treating chronic lower neck and back pain. This is as it always muscular spasm that causes pain, even when the cause is a disc. By breathing in and out and holding a yoga pose, it is possible to assist these muscles to relax.
It seems that yoga is good at treating neck and back pain. In a different study, participants with carpal tunnel syndrome took part or wore a wrist splint. The yoga class was found to be more effective at relieving wrist pain!
It’s important to point out that more study needs to be done into why and how yoga may reduce chronic pain and it needs to be utilized in combination with more conventional remedies. But the early evidence looks promising.
4. LOWER RISK OF CANCER
Cancer is the second largest killer after cardiovascular disease, so anything that may even slightly lower the chance of developing it is worth paying attention to.
The connection between yoga and cancer is far from well-established. However, there seems to be evidence that yoga could prevent a type of gene mutation which is involved in certain types of cancer.
A study in the Journal of Clinical correlation demonstrated that yoga can decrease inflammation and improve the disposition of people who have cancer. It’s an intriguing outcome, although again, this has to be verified by more research.
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