Over the years, many different health trends have come and gone. From jazzercise to aerobics to Zumba, it can feel like there’s always some new thing your friends or coworkers are urging you to try. In some cases, the hype belies myth. For example, most scientists believe the payoff of the juice cleanse fad has less to do with actually flushing toxins from your body and more to do with the psychological challenge of deprivation.
In other cases, the latest health trend is evidence-based. When it comes to yoga, your fitness-focused friends are right—yoga helps eliminate stress, improve your mood, and boost your overall health. Not only does practicing yoga usher the usual benefits of exercise into your life, it could also lend you greater happiness in the long-term than going for a walk or run.
When you need to eliminate stress, why should you consider yoga?
1. Yoga could offer a greater emotional reward than other forms of exercise
A recent study found that people who practiced yoga for a few weeks slashed more anxiety from their lives than people who went for a walk of similar difficulty. Practicing various yoga postures is associated with increased brain levels of GABA, a neuron that’s less active in anxiety and mood disorders. In short, yoga clears your mind and equips you to better handle life’s stresses.
2. Yoga allows you to take note of your breathing
Healthy breathing doesn’t come as naturally to you as you might think. When you first start to feel anxious, your breathing can pick up and reduce your oxygen intake. The less oxygen your body and brain receive, the more tense you feel. Eliminate stress by practicing yoga and deep, regular breathing—doing so can center you in a sense of calm, even during an emotional hurricane.
3. Yoga beats isolation
While you can certainly meditate on your own at home, yoga often means leaving the house and spending time alongside others. Sitting down in front of the TV can appear deceptively relaxing; you’ll likely feel restless and unfulfilled afterward. Getting out of the house and relaxing in the company of others can be a great reward after a difficult day.
4. Yoga boosts your immune system
Researchers in Norway discovered that yoga can affect powerful physical changes in your body on a molecular level. It’s not yet clear how exactly yoga does it, but it’s worth noting that yoga improves your respiratory system, circulation, and stress resilience—three important components of a great immune system.
5. Yoga improves your long-term health
Regularly practicing yoga doesn’t just protect you from catching the flu and the common cold; yoga also reduces your personal risk factors for chronic conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and insomnia. You probably know firsthand that feeling physically healthy helps eliminate stress.
How can you start practicing yoga?
One of the best things about yoga is that it’s accessible to almost everyone. Varying degrees of difficulty and different styles of posing mean that there is a type of yoga for every fitness level and body type. Chances are good that there’s also a kind of yoga that’s perfect for your schedule—if you simply can’t find the time or extra cash to sign up for a class, invite a friend over, find a free yoga course online, and eliminate stress. There’s more good news: if you’re worried about pushing your body’s limits, any good instructor can help you modify yoga positions to suit your body’s needs. Yoga is less about getting it exactly right and more about giving your mind and body the love and care they deserve.
