7 Wellness Benefits of Yoga to Explore

Breathing techniques in yoga, known as pranayama, involve controlling your respiratory rhythms with the prolonging and shortening of the breath. This practice is especially important for overall wellbeing and preventing illness in the lungs. After six weeks of regular yoga practice, inactive middle-aged people showed significant improvements in overall respiratory functions, according to a study published in The International Journal of Yoga.

Western fitness often emphasizes weight loss and muscle building, while casting aside flexibility training as a secondary part of health. Walk into any gym, and you’ll often see a combination of weight benches, dumbbells, treadmills, and stability bikes. 

It’s not enough to just focus on cardio and weight lifting in fitness. Stretching plays a crucial component of wellbeing, to look and feel your best. Regular stretching keeps muscles lean, long, and flexible, which increases mobility, according to Harvard Health Publishing. When you don’t stretch, you risk injury, like joint pain, strains, and muscle damage. 

Yoga promotes flexibility, an ideal stretching activity before and after a workout. A study published in The International Journal of Yoga found that athletes who participated in biweekly yoga sessions enjoyed increased flexibility as well as better performance in other areas of fitness.

Startling statistics from the Anxiety of Depression Association of America reveal the widespread increase in mental illness, such as anxiety disorders and depression. Indeed, many people can relate to the pains of psychological distress. 

The good news? Adding a little yoga into your daily routine can have a major impact on your mental health. A study published in the Indian J Physiol Pharmacol observed decreased levels of depression and anxiety among young trainees who participated in regular yoga practice.

Have trouble sleeping? Well, you’re not alone. One  in three adults experience a sleep disorder at some point according to the American Sleep Association . 

Yoga helps with sleep issues by relaxing nerves and calming overthinking that can keep you up at night. In a survey featured in the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 55 percent of people who practice yoga reported improved sleep. For a good night’s rest, try some of these calming yoga postures before bed.

Between answering emails, scrolling on social media, and catching up with family and friends, staying focused gets difficult with so many distractions. You can look at focus as a skill. Just like any skill, you can develop it and get better with practice.

Meditation during yoga provides a way to improve your ability to focus. A study published in BioPsychoSocial Medicine found that yoga improves attention and concentration. You can enjoy these benefits with just 20 minutes of yoga per day.

Most people reach for a bottle of aspirin to relieve pain. Why not turn to a natural remedy instead? A study published in JAMA found that practicing yoga may reduce chronic pain. 42 participants with carpal tunnel syndrome either received a wrist splint or did yoga for eight weeks. Those who introduced yoga into their routine experience greater wrist strength and reduced pain.

Yogic meditation practices have benefits off the mat as well, including when it comes to food. According to Harvard Health Publishing, people who do yoga also enjoy more mindful eating practices. That’s because meditation techniques in yoga help you tune into how your body feels, which carries over into mealtime. You develop a deeper connection to your food, savoring bite until you feel full.

Try These Mindful Morning Meditations
Bring Balance with These 7 Chakra Yoga Poses
What is Kundalini Yoga and How to Awaken the Energy Within?