Benefits of Yoga

Medical science is finally validating what yogis have known for thousands of years: Yoga impacts the health and well being of the entire body.

Yoga practitioners have long credited yoga for alleviating such conditions as back problems, menstrual difficulties, arthritis or chronic pain they once thought would limit their lives forever. Now these anecdotes are being translated into quantifiable health improvements and the kind of credible scientific research that members of the medical community accept.

Research studies have documented many physiological benefits from a regular yoga practice, including decreased blood pressure and heart rate, increased flexibility, increased muscular strength and increased aerobic and muscular endurance. Reported psychomotor benefits include improved balance, increased reaction time, improved dexterity and increased grip strength. Reported biochemical benefits of yoga include increased HDL (good ) cholesterol as well as decreased LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Yoga has a positive impact on psychological well being in addition to physical well being. Improved mood, self-acceptance and self-actualization, as well as decreased anxiety and decreased depression are a few of the many reported psychological benefits of a regular yoga practice. Improved attention, memory and learning efficiency are reported cognitive benefits.

There are a number of specific diagnoses that have demonstrated improved function through yoga practice. These diagnoses include carpal tunnel syndrome, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, asthma, chronic fatigue, diabetes, cancer and osteoarthritis.

The practice of yoga is emerging as a method for preventing disease, as well as a way of coping with difficult-to-treat or chronic illnesses and stress.