36 Reasons To Practise Yoga

Many people will have heard of yoga but never tried it, and some may have practised it for a while but not kept up with it, and that’s a shame because there are many health benefits to be gained, which is what this article explores.

1. Availability. It’s really easy these days to get started with yoga – no more having to fly to India and track down a guru. Yoga clubs and studios exist all over the place, and it’s something you can, of course, do at home too.
2. Balance. Proprioception is the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body and its parts, and yoga can help improve this, as well as your overall balance.
3. Blood Sugar. Yoga has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels, making this a great practice for diabetics.
4. Bone Health. Yoga involves several positions where you effectively need to lift your own weight, and weight-bearing exercises are proven to increase bone density (and, therefore, strength).
5. Breathing. Breath control is one of the key focal points in yoga, the goal being to breathe more efficiently, which results in larger volumes of air being inhaled, and for longer.
6. Cholesterol. In addition to blood sugar (see above), yoga can decrease your bad LDL cholesterol while boosting your good HDL cholesterol.
7. Circulation. Yoga is a great way to get your blood flowing more freely around your body, thus carrying more of the vital fuel that is oxygen.
8. Cognitive Functions. People have reported have better memory and problem-solving skills as a result of yoga, and there are even cases where IQ scores (for whatever those are worth) may have increased.
9. Coordination. Yoga has been shown to improve your coordination, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given the various poses you adopt.
10. Digestive Health. Yoga can help minimize issues such as constipation and IBS.
11. Flexibility. This is likely to be the first benefit that springs to mind – all of the bending and stretching loosens up your joints, which can reduce aches and pains.
12. Headaches / Migraines. Several studies have found that practising yoga can help reduce the severity of headaches, including migraines, as well as their frequency and duration.
13. Heart Health. Yoga can offer various ways to help your heart, depending on which style you are practising. For example, it can be a form of aerobic exercise, it can lower your resting heartbeat, and increase your endurance and your ability to take in oxygen.
14. Hypertension. Following on from the previous benefit, yoga has also been shown to help reduce your blood pressure.
15. Immune System. Lymph is a thick, somewhat sticky fluid that carries white blood cells (i.e. immune cells) around your body – and yoga helps to keep your lymphatic system active and healthy.
16. Joint Protection. Yoga helps prevent the breakdown of cartilage, which can lead to more serious issues, including some forms of arthritis.
17. Low Cost. Learning and practising yoga is relatively inexpensive – mats don’t need to cost much more than $10 and you can find some suitable clothing cheaply too if you don’t already own anything that would work. There is obviously a cost to join a yoga club and take lessons (which averages $5 – $20 per group lesson – more for private lessons, of course), but you can also get started from videos that are freely available online – at least to see whether it’s for you or not.
18. Low Risk. When compared to other forms of exercise, yoga has a relatively low risk of harming yourself. Statistics shows that there is just over one injury (which tends to affect the lower extremities, from the knees down to the toes, more frequently) per 1,000 hours of practice.
19. Medication Reduction. Although I am not aware of any scientific studies into this, some people have found that they were able to lower their dosage of some medications as a result of practising yoga.
20. Mindfulness. Yoga helps you to focus on the here and now – your body, and your immediate environment, which means you’re not focusing on previous (often negative) experiences or worrying about the future.
21. Mood. Some studies have shown that regular yoga practice can literally make you happier.
22. Muscle Strength. Yoga allows you to increase the strength of your muscles while simultaneously developing flexibility (see above), which is something that many exercises do not offer.
23. Nervous System Control. While not something most yoga practitioners can accomplish, those who are practising at advanced levels are able, according to some studies, to control aspects of their bodies that many people would find remarkable. Examples include changing their heart rate, increasing body temperature, and even creating specific brainwave patterns on demand.
24. Neurodevelopmental Issues. A study conducted in Spain found that yoga can help some children who suffer from conditions such as ADHD and autism.
25. Pain Relief. Some people report that certain styles of yoga can reduce the pain from problems such as arthritis, back pain, and even fibromyalgia.
26. Posture. Yoga teaches you how to hold your body correctly – because if your posture is bad, you can end up with neck aches, back aches, and more. For example, your head should be positioned directly over your erect spine, which can easily bear that load, but if it’s not, then you are needlessly expending energy by using muscles to hold that 17 pound (8 kilos) weight in place. (Yes, the average adult head weighs about the same as a 19-inch flat screen TV!)
27. Productivity. According to a study commissioned by the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), practising mindfulness (including yoga) in the workplace leads to increased productivity.
28. Reaction Time. Yoga has been shown to increase your reflexes.
29. Relaxation. Because yoga is slow and graceful and focuses on the present and slowing down your breathing patterns, you end up feeling calmer and more relaxed.
30. Self-Esteem. Certain yoga poses that are referred to as “power poses” can help you feel more energetic, and more positive about you and your body.
31. Sex Life. The Journal of Sexual Medicine conducted a study in women over the age of 40, and three quarters of the participants rated their sex life as being better after practising yoga for 12 weeks.
32. Sleep. Some people have reported that practising yoga helps them sleep better.
33. Spinal Health. All of the bending, stretching, and twisting required can help prevent the disks in your spine from becoming compressed and causing problems.
34. Stress Reduction. Chronically high cortisol levels can lead to depression, hypertension, and osteoporosis, amongst other problems, but yoga can help reduce the amount of cortisol secreted by your adrenal glands, leading to less anxiety and stress.
35. Supports A Healthier Lifestyle. Yoga is not only a great way to exercise and burn calories, but it also focuses on your thought processes, and some people have reported that they think more about other health issues, such as diet, as a result of practising yoga.
36. Tension. I’ve already mentioned yoga’s ability to relax you, but that’s more of a mental thing. It can also ease tension in your muscles, which would otherwise lead to fatigue and soreness.

Conclusion

So, there you have it – three dozen reasons to practise yoga.

I should point out that not all of these benefits have been thoroughly and scientifically researched, but it’s also worth bearing in mind that it has been practised, in some form or other, for thousands of years.

You have little to lose by trying it, and, potentially, much to gain, so why not give it a try? (You could start by checking out these 12 poses that are suitable for beginners.)

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Find A Yoga Instructor (US only)
2. Online Yoga Courses
3. Yoga For Anxiety
4. Yoga For Kids
5. Yoga Mat