Physical Benefits

How exactly does yoga benefit our bodies? Why do we feel so much better after a class? There are many reasons why, and for those just starting out, here is what you should know about yoga and some of the health benefits you’ll receive.

Practicing yoga can increase your circulation, flexibility, balance, energy, build muscle strength, protect your bones to help ward off osteoporosis, increase blood flow and improve athletic performance as well as prevent injury. Yoga helps lower cortisol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar, aids in weight loss, helps regulate adrenal glands, and can even drain your lymphatic system and boost immunity. “When you contract and stretch muscles, move organs around, and come in and out of yoga postures, you increase the drainage of lymph (a viscous fluid rich in immune cells). This helps the lymphatic system fight infection, destroy cancerous cells, and dispose of the toxic waste products of cellular functioning,” as stated in Yoga Journal. Now more than ever doctors are recommending yoga to promote a healthier lifestyle and improve the mind-body connection.

Mental Benefits

Yoga has been around for more than 3,000 years and the practice first started out all seated, no movement. The point was to get out of our heads through meditation. Yoga is still about just that, but since that time we’ve added moving postures to help prepare us for the end goal of meditation and sitting still. Through the breath (prana), and postures (asana) we create a space for living in the present moment and learning to be mindful. Yoga teaches us to notice our thoughts and not be phased by them, to “let it go”.

A consistent yoga practice has the ability to rewire the way we think and perceive situations. Neuroplasticity is our brain’s ability to change throughout life. Yoga facilitates neuroplasticity by helping create new neural pathways (new connections between brain cells). During this process, the brain engages in synaptic pruning, deleting the neural connections that are no longer useful, and strengthening the ones that are. “Positive thoughts expand our brains. Negative thoughts shrink them. The brain’s neuroplasticity can change and be molded like plastic. The biggest factors creating these changes are our thoughts and emotions. ‘Self-directed neuroplasticity’ means consciously influencing our minds in positive ways, such as meditation, that expand our brains and enable us to receive what we need to lead a fulfilling and happy life,” as stated in Yoga International.

Habitual thoughts, behaviors, and reactive patterns strengthen neural networks. In other words, the more we engage a particular pattern of thought, feeling or behavior, the stronger the network becomes. This is why it can be difficult to change chronic patterns, according to YogaU. The good news, is through yoga, you can create a more positive way of thinking. The first step is catching yourself and noticing where your mind wanders off to. Detecting patterns and habits whenever they occur allows you the freedom to ditch the old way of thinking and begin creating new neural pathways. The practice of yoga is about becoming aware of what’s occurring on the inside, remembering to pay attention to our thoughts, feelings and internal dialogue as we practice. Whatever you think, perceive and feel while you’re practicing yoga, whether it’s intentional or unconscious, is essentially training the brain to think, perceive and feel in those ways.

In addition, when we do yoga, we are tapping into our brain’s GABA levels, (gamma-aminobutryic acid) which is known as our “chill-out” neurotransmitter that produces a calming effect, helping those with anxiety. It’s stated that a 60-minute yoga class increases GABA by 27 percent.

This is made possible because the practice of yoga increases serotonin, endorphins, dopamine, acetylcholine, and nitric oxide. As stated in the physical portion above, yoga decreases glucose, insulin, cortisol and inflammatory cytokines.

Who can do it?

Yoga is customizable for all ages and levels and has a substantial impact on your mental health and well-being.