How Does Yoga Supports Our Health?

Do you practice yoga? Maybe you have thought about trying it or possibly a friend has suggested you try it. A myth around yoga is that you have to be flexible in order to do yoga. However, it is like any exercise or sport you do yoga to increase your flexibility. With a certified instructor going slow at first your instructor will modify poses as you require.

Yoga can alter your life in ways you can never imagine. It is more than an “exercise class, it is a lifestyle that encompasses your mind and body.

Before I began taking yoga classes, I couldn’t identify my mind would run off on its own, much less control my mind. I felt tension in my body; my muscles were tight and sore. Unless my body hurt, (of which it did often), I never thought about my body. It was just a vessel to get from A to B. It was a counsellor I was seeing who suggested I try yoga to connect back to my body. Little did I know how much I would also connect to my mind.

There are many types of yoga. The most popular styles include Hatha gentle basic, Vinyasa smooth flowing movements, Ashtanga strict, fast set, Iyengar precise body alignment with prop), Yin slow deep stretches held for 2 to 5 minutes, Hot or Bikram done in warm rooms, and Restorative deep relaxation. Chair yoga is gentler and less active, mostly supported in a chair. Depending on the activity level you are looking for Hatha yoga is good to begin with and is more common. Other forms of yoga such as Vinyasa, Iyengar and Ashtanga involve more complex yoga poses are introduced such as handstands. I do caution with hot yoga that you do not stretch further than your flexibility allows. In the hot environment it will appear your flexibility has improved as your muscles are heated up. This can lead to injury.

There are many studies that have shown that yoga can support our health in a positive way. Yoga has been proven and shown to improve the following many aspects of your life and body.

Improving muscle strength can help with any condition that causes weakness such as chronic fatigue syndrome, recovery from broken bones or other lack of use such as having been bedridden as a result of illness or surgery. Improving bone strength can help with osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Improving flexibility can help with any condition that causes stiffness like osteoarthritis or even Parkinson’s disease.

Improving balance can help with any condition that impacts balance such as frailty from aging and inactivity, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, neuropathy from diabetes, and poor eyesight. Most people do not realize that balance is a practiced habit. Kinda like if you don’t use it you lose it! Your balance naturally declines as you age!

Yoga can help with any condition that affects nimbleness and response time, including any condition that affects balance and slowing of brain-body nerve conduction. or how your nervous system sends electrical signals back and forth between your brain and your muscles. It allows you to move, feel touch, and sense pain.

Improving posture helps with problems caused by poor physical alignment. In yoga the core, the entire back, pelvic floor muscles and all areas of the body are strengthened allowing all the muscle groups to work properly interdependent on each other for synchronized movement.

Yoga’s impact on the nervous system is a key factor related to many other effects. The very nature of the practice which focuses on moving the body, mindfulness of the body, meditation, and breathing practices all help to reduce stress and anxiety. For the nervous system there are many advantages and in yoga without the mind there is no body.

Yoga reduces chronic stress, helping to prevent and/or manage stress-related diseases like heart disease, hypertension, and digestive disorders. It is also an aid for other conditions that are caused or exacerbated by stress such as anxiety and depression. Stress management helps reduce inflammation which may address inflammation-related problems for example, most forms of arthritis and gastrointestinal conditions.

Yoga practices support digestive health in general, as well as specific conditions. . Digestive health is supported by overall well-being, of course. Mindful yoga practices support nervous system balance, stress reduction, and pain management. The digestive system works best when the nervous system is in a balanced state, which for most people means spending more time in rest and digest mode as opposed to flight or fight mode. Yoga has a positive effect on the nervous system, thereby promoting proper digestive system functioning. By reducing stress and calming the nervous system, yoga helps to calm an irritated digestive system.

Yoga’s consistent focus on the breath leads to many benefits that are cascading effects related to overall healthy functioning, and yoga can also support students with specific respiratory issues. Yoga asanas, breath awareness, and pranayama can help improve lung function to foster general health and can help with respiratory diseases like mild asthma and COPD.

Body awareness is a stronghold in yoga. It teaches students to listen to their body, helping them to gain the skills to more easily identify what the body and mind needs to stay healthy.

Yoga can support immunity in general as well as support people experiencing particular conditions. The immune system prevents illness and promotes healing. The lymphatic system defends against pathogens and other foreign material. Yoga can boost immune system functioning, supporting those with immune system disorders such as HIV/AIDS and adrenal insufficiency. Yoga can also help foster healing from a wide range of illnesses like common viruses like flu, to auto-immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer.

In yoga, reducing chronic stress helps to prevent heart disease, stroke, arrhythmias, and other circulatory system problems. The circulatory system is also called the cardiovascular system. It transports blood to — and carries waste from — cells. Healthy circulation is related to health of the heart, brain and other organs.

Yoga practices support the endocrine system by breathwork, asanas (poses), sound and meditation. Tis is done by decreasing in cortisol, related to feelings of well-being and pain management. It elevates serotonin, releases of oxytocin during visualization, and produces higher levels of melatonin for sleep.