There’s no doubt we’re living in stressful times. As if a global pandemic with more than six million deaths weren’t enough, over the past few years we’ve seen worldwide protests sparked by racial violence, a riot at the US Capitol, ongoing war in Ethiopia, and now Russia has invaded Ukraine. And this is just a recapping of some of the world’s major news stories.
Through it all, each individual has had to cope with stresses that are more mundane as well. After all, day-to-day life continues despite global turmoil. Interpersonal disagreements at home or at work don’t stop when bombs start flying halfway around the world. Neither do our bills’ due dates go on hiatus while we absorb the news from Washington or Africa or Europe.
How are you coping with all of this? I’ve written before about ways to cope, but surely some are finding it easier than others. If you fall into the latter category, I come to you with a new suggestion: yoga. It turns out, yoga is a great way to ensure not only physical fitness but mental and emotional fitness as well. Not long ago, I wrote a blog post about yoga for a client with an interest in fitness. Before I could submit it for publication, he decided he no longer wanted to keep a blog. His loss is your gain, as now I can share this news about yoga with you! I’ll be interested to hear what you think.
All About New Research Findings on the Fitness Benefits of Yoga
Many people participate in yoga because they find it relaxing. Other people who do yoga might think it has some physical benefits, such as improving flexibility. Now, new research studies are proving what many people have only suspected in the past. Yoga does indeed have several benefits for physical, emotional, and mental fitness. Read on to find out more about these benefits.
Flexibility Benefits
Those who practice yoga will not be surprised to learn that one of its physical benefits is improved flexibility. This is because of the stretching involved in getting into many of the positions during a yoga workout. Now, new evidence shows yoga does in fact improve flexibility.
In a recent article published in Advances in Geriatric Medicine and Research, researchers reviewed previous studies into the health benefits of yoga, including flexibility, and they found proof that yoga improves flexibility. For example, one study they reviewed showed participants had greater spine mobility, muscle flexibility, and range of motion after doing yoga for 20 weeks. Another study these researchers reviewed showed that several other studies also showed improved mobility as a result of doing yoga.
Strength Benefits
Yoga provides another fitness benefit, which is muscle strengthening. As anyone who has done yoga knows, those who participate in yoga sometimes hold poses for lengthy periods of time. One might suspect that doing this type of activity could strengthen muscles, and this suspicion has been proven correct.
In a study recently published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers focused on the strength benefits of yoga. They found through studying electromyogram (EMG) test results that the five standing poses they studied strengthened the quadriceps and the hamstring muscles in particular. They also reviewed several previous studies that showed other yoga poses resulted in strengthening abdominal, trunk, hip, leg, and arm muscles as well.
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Sunset yoga. (Flickr/graham) |
Some people who do yoga might be surprised to learn it can benefit their breathing. They might think that while instruction in deep breathing accompanies some yoga poses, this instruction does not seem like a major focus of a typical yoga workout. However, one recent study shows that doing yoga can improve pulmonary function.
The journal Annals of Medicine recently published an article in which researchers reviewed previous studies looking at the benefits of yoga for pulmonary function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They found in particular that COPD patients who did yoga saw benefits in their ability to exhale effectively. They also noted the patients reported a reduction in shortness of breath.
Cardiac Benefits
The average person who does yoga might also be surprised to learn that yoga workouts can benefit the heart. Often, people think of strenuous exercise, like running, when they think of heart benefits. However, even more gentle exercise, such as yoga, can have heart benefits.
In an article recently published by the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine, researchers reviewed previously published studies and found several heart-related benefits associated with yoga. Specifically, they noted that among patients with coronary heart disease, yoga improved triglyceride levels, HDL-cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. They also noted that body mass index, a factor in heart health, was improved through doing yoga.
Emotional Benefits
People who do yoga to relax will not be surprised to learn that research shows yoga has many emotional and mental health benefits. This might not be surprising due to the slow pace involved with doing most styles of yoga. Also, in general yoga is done in a quiet environment, which can also serve to soothe the emotions.
In Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation, researchers recently published an article that illustrated some of the emotional benefits of yoga. These researchers studied people working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Half the people participated in online, streaming yoga sessions for six weeks, while the other half did not. They found those who participated in yoga reported lower levels of perceived stress, improved mental health, less depression, and better ability to cope with not only problems but also unpleasant thoughts and emotions.
Cognitive Benefits
Another area of fitness that benefits from yoga is cognition. Cognition involves abilities having to do with memory, decision making, and logic, among others. While the everyday yoga practitioner might not realize it, their yoga workouts are benefitting their thought processes.
A group of researchers recently published a study in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine in which they reviewed previous studies about cognitive function as related to yoga. They found that when it comes to older adults in particular, memory was one area that saw improvement after doing yoga. Specifically, working memory capacity, verbal memory, and visual memory were all improved. They also found those who did yoga were better able to make mental shifts, pay attention, and process information.