The date is clear: yoga helps.
Dr. Liz at home in the forest.
Yoga is good. (I’m sure you’ve heard.) But you might not know who yoga can help or how.
In addition to improving body awareness, balance, strength, and flexibility, yoga reduces the symptoms of chronic disease, inflammation, and pain. Yoga decreases the symptoms of mental health conditions and increases wellbeing, connection, and even interpersonal skills.
Yoga has its roots in Hinduism and Buddhism. The practice itself is not religious. It is accessible to all people, be they religious, spiritual, agnostic, or atheist.
How is yoga doing all this?
Yogic practices (postures, breath, meditation) reduce biological effects of stress. During practice, shifts in perception (meditative awareness) can decrease the amount of things that stress a person out.
Yoga practice is a positive feedback loop over time for decreasing stress and increasing health and wellbeing. The more a person practices, the calmer the nervous system. The calmer the nervous system, the more likely perception shifts. The more perception shifts, the less likely the person is to get stressed.
Yoga decreases the biological effects of stress
It is hypothesized that yoga balances the nervous system through the hypothalamus.
Yoga downregulates the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and up regulates the parasympathetic nervous system and gamma amino butyric-acid system.
Yoga can also decrease allosteric load, the damage that occurs when the HPA-SNS stress response system becomes overtaxed and begins to function improperly
Yoga research summary (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Calms cardiovascular and immune system
Balances the reproductive system
Balances blood sugar
Decreases symptoms of chronic physical and mental disease
Increases well being and connection
Better interpersonal skills
Yoga and cardiovascular system (1, 2, 3)
Decreases heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammation
Improves blood lipid profile
Slows the progression of atherosclerosis in patient with severe coronary artery disease.
Contributes to sleep, appetite, and general well-being and decreased physiological arousal among patients who are recovering from a heart attack.
Yoga and the Immune System (1)
Decreases the negative effects of stress
Decreases inflammation
Yoga and the Skeletal System (11, 12, 13)
Yoga may be a safe way to increase bone density and slow bone resorption.
Yoga and the Reproductive System (1)
Yoga appears to increase maternal comfort and shorten labor time in pregnant women.
Yoga decreases the number of hot flashes in menopausal women.
Yoga and Chronic Disease (1, 2, 3)
Yoga appears to be equal to or superior to exercise in relieving symptoms associated with diabetes, MS, menopause, and kidney disease.
Yoga improves symptoms associated with a number of chronic health conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and cancer.
Yoga lowers blood sugar in diabetes and other chronic health conditions.
Yoga and Cancer (1)
Yoga, when compared with supportive psychotherapy in randomized trials involving patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, has been shown to be significantly better at decreasing levels of nausea and vomiting and strengthening the immune system.1
Yoga and Mental Health (1, 6, 7, 8)
Yoga increases well being, sleep, mood, and academic performance.
Yoga decreases anxiety, depression, fatigue, stress, the physiological markers for stress.
Yoga may relieve the symptoms of chronic mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia.
Yoga Plus Mindfulness Mental Health Benefits (9)
Decreased anxiety and stress
Positive relationship to body satisfaction, compassion, acceptance, empathy
Inverse relationship with depression, neuroticism, rumination, distress contagions, and interpersonal distress
Stronger interpersonal skills and communication
What yoga research can’t tell us, yet...
Of course, more research is needed to repeat the studies cited above. Additionally, research is needed to determine best practices for yoga. We’ve compared yoga to a control group that does nothing and yoga to a control group that does exercise or psychotherapy. There are very few studies comparing different types of yoga to each other.
Every yoga lineage (traditions passed down from teacher to student) has different techniques and opinions as to the best way to practice. Most yoga lineages follow a holistic approach to practicing and health. I view the diversity of approaches to yoga as a strength of the practice, giving each person a range of options to try in order to find out what is most healing for them.
I use science, meditation, and yoga postures to teach people body awareness and empower them to be their own best teacher. Join Spontaneous Yoga Membership to take online group classes with me. Your first month is $1.00 with the code HEART.
I also teach private sessions. I work one on one for two to three months with students, setting them up for a lifelong practice with check ins as needed. Learn more about private sessions here.
I consult on yoga research projects, teach yoga science workshops for regular people, and create custom online curriculum for yoga teacher trainings. Learn more about yoga science with me here.
Includes live online classes, a library of over 120 recorded classes, and email support. Topics covered: breath, back, knees, shoulders, neck, pelvic floor, aiding respiratory system recovery, pain, and so much more! Classes include chair options. First month is $1.00 with the code HEART. Cancel anytime.
References
Ross A, Thomas S. The Health Benefits of Yoga and Exercise: A Review of Comparison Studies. Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2010;16(1), 3-12.
Ross A, Friedmann E, Bevans M, Thomas S. National Survey of Yoga Practitioners: Mental and Physical Health Benefits. Complement Ther Med. 2013;21(4). 313-323
Jayasinghe S. Yoga in cardiac health (A Review). European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation. 2004;11. 369-375
Marieb E, Hoehn K. Human Anatomy and Physiology Ninth Edition. Glenview, IL: Pearson Education; 2013.
Gard T, Noggle J, Park C, et al. Potential self-regulatory mechanisms of yoga for psychological health. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2014; 8 (770)
Woodyard C. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. International Journal of Yoga. 2011. 4(2); 49-54.
Woolery A, Myers H, Sternlieb B, Zeltzer L. A Yoga Intervention for Young Adults with Elevated Symptoms of Depression. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2004. 10(2); 60-63
Kauts A, Sharma K. Effects of yoga on academic performance in relation to stress. International Journal of Yoga. 2009. 2(1); 39-43.
Bergen-Cico D, Possemato K, Cheon S. Examining the Efficacy of a Brief Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (Brief MBSR) Program on Psychological Health. Journal of American College Health. 2013. 61(6)
Newberg A, D’Aquill E. Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief. New York, NY: Ballantine Book, The Random House; 2001
Lu Y, Rosner B, et al. Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss. Top Geriatr Rehabil. 2016 Apr; 32(2): 81–87. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851231/ Accessed 1 Oct 2020.
Fishman L. Yoga for Osteoporosis: A Pilot Study. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation. 2009;25(3):244-250. doi: 10.1097/TGR.0b013e3181b02dd6. https://journals.lww.com/topicsingeriatricrehabilitation/Fulltext/2009/07000/Yoga_for_Osteoporosis__A_Pilot_Study. Accessed 1 Oct 2020
Phoosuwan M, Kritpet T, Yuktanandana P. The effects of weight bearing yoga training on the bone resorption markers of the postmenopausal women. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand. Chotmaihet Thangphaet.2009. 92 Suppl 5:S102-8 PMID: 19891384 https://europepmc.org/article/med/19891384 Accessed 1 Oct 2020