Over 36 million Americans practice yoga. Researchers have shownyoga improves flexibility, which in turn can help treat and prevent back pain. It also is said to show lower inflammation, linked to serious issues like cardiovascular disease and cancer. Studies also suggest that yoga largely helps in reducing stress by communicating with the brain to release stress hormones.
Why Yoga?
Now, despite what you may have read, there’s no scientific proof to support the idea that yoga will flush out toxins from your colon or anywhere else. But that nowhere means these exercises can’t help your body in many other ways.
Take back pain for instance. An estimated 80% of people suffer from back pain at one point in their lives. But one study found that after just six to 12 good yoga teacher training, participants reported significantly less pain in their lower back. That’s because certain yoga poses to stretch out your hamstrings, which, when they’re too tight, can yank on your hip flexors and strain your lower back.
Benefits of Yoga
Yoga really can have various health effects on the human body and brain by improving flexibility, which in turn can prevent and treat back pain. Researchers highly suspect that yoga could reduce stress by interfering with the central nervous system’s ability to release stress hormones. Moreover, studies show that meditation-focused types of yoga, like yoga asana, boost levels of feel-good hormones like oxytocin in the brain. Besides, Yoga is an exercise, and exercise in and of itself is a stress reliever. Also, the US Department of Health and Human Services recommends two and a half to five hours a week of light to moderate exercise.
Analysis
In a 2015 study, a woman practiced a type of hatha yoga, involving postures like downward dog and triangle poses. Shemeditated and practiced 90 minutes each week for around 16 weeks straight. And by the last week, she could reach four centimeters closer to her toes than before because of those loose hamstrings. Now, if you’re also meditating during those yoga sessions, flexibility might not be the only benefit. After about seven to 16 weeks of yoga activities, participants saw a huge drop in C-reactive proteins in their blood. Those same proteins were re-linked to inflammation, which, when you’re overly stressed, can kick into overdrive. With time, that inflammation could also contribute to serious illnesses like cardiovascular disease and cancer. That’s where yoga’s meditative qualities can help.
Thus, yoga might have an edge in the flexibility department and mindfulness department, there are plenty of other activities one can try to get healthy and fit. But as long as it gets you moving and maybe gives you some new friends, why not give it a go?
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