5 Great Benefits Of Yoga Poses That You Had Never Expected
Contents
This post was most recently updated on July 25th, 2023
Overview
If you are doing yoga or are thinking about starting, you may have heard about its many benefits. But if you are new to yoga, claims like “Yoga helps blood circulation” can be hard to judge. Let’s look at some of the physical benefits that research supports.
Great benefits of yoga poses
Increase flexibility and reduce pain
Better flexibility is one of the best-known effects of yoga. At first it may be hard to bend over and touch your toes. But with patient practice, you will notice your range of motion improving over time.
Greater flexibility may ease some muscle and joint stiffness. Tight muscles, such as tight hamstrings and hip flexors, can pull on the pelvis and spine and contribute to poor posture and back pain.
Research supports yoga for low-back pain in particular. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, yoga can improve pain and function in the short and medium term, with effects similar to other exercise and massage.
Helps muscles to be stronger and firmer
Yoga also builds strength, because many poses require you to hold your own body weight. Strong muscles help support your joints and spine, can ease back pain, help people with arthritis stay active, and improve balance, which can help prevent falls in older people.
Lifting weights builds muscle faster, but it does not train flexibility the way yoga does. Many people get the best results by combining both.
Improve respiration, energy, and vitality
Yoga combines postures with breathing techniques. When you practice yoga, you not only exercise your body but also learn to control your breathing. Yoga helps you relax, slow down, and breathe more deeply.
Slow, controlled breathing can help you feel calmer, and studies show yoga can reduce perceived stress and improve sleep. Breathing through your nose also warms, moistens, and filters the air before it reaches your lungs.
Gentle yoga poses also move your joints through their range of motion. This can help people with arthritis stay mobile, though you should ask your doctor which poses are safe for you.
Maintain a metabolic balance and help with weight loss
A survey by Seattle researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington (not to be confused with Washington University in St. Louis) found that people who practice yoga regularly eat more mindfully. Mindful eaters tended to weigh less.
Yoga may build awareness that carries over to eating, helping you notice hunger and fullness and make better choices. Reviews also show that yoga programs can lead to gradual, moderate weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
Improve cardiovascular health and circulatory system
Yoga gets your body moving, and like other physical activity, it can support heart health. Some studies suggest regular yoga may modestly lower blood pressure and heart rate, partly by reducing stress.
Most yoga is light to moderate activity, though faster styles raise the heart rate more. For full heart benefits, combine yoga with aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming.
Inverted and leg-raising poses may help fluid drain from the legs. But yoga is not a treatment for blood clots, and it does not replace medicine for preventing heart attack or stroke.
People with severe high blood pressure, glaucoma, or spine problems should ask their doctor and instructor which poses to avoid. Beginners should skip headstands, shoulder stands, and forceful breathing until they have expert guidance.
Conclusion
Fitness trends come and go, but yoga remains a safe, effective form of exercise for most people. It supports both physical and mental health, which is why so many people choose it.
Sources
- Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Regular yoga practice is associated with mindful eating, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
