The Many Health Benefits of Yoga

 

As medical researchers uncover new information about ways to achieve optimal health, one practice dating back to ancient times remains a highly effective way to take care of the human body. While there are no written records regarding the origins of yoga, the practice is believed to date back to ancient India. The earliest written record of yoga is The Yoga Sutra of Pantañjali, a collection that historians believe was compiled sometime between 500 BCE and 400 BCE.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCCIH), studies regarding the health effects of yoga have included only small numbers of people, and have not been of high quality. As a result, the NCCIH can only say that yoga shows promise for helping people manage or overcome certain health issues, and that further study is required. 

While yoga needs to be studied more closely and extensively, many who practice yoga report feeling better physically and mentally for having done so. Also, a 2004 comprehensive review of yoga as a therapeutic intervention published in the Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, reveals that yoga targets unmanaged stress often linked to chronic disorders such as anxiety, depression, obesity, diabetes, and insomnia. Yoga may also help relieve low-back pain and neck pain; menopause symptoms; manage anxiety or depressive symptoms; help people quit smoking; help with weight loss and obesity; and manage symptoms associated with chronic diseases. 

It’s important that anyone considering making yoga part of their health care routine recognizes that there are various forms of yoga, some of which are more physically demanding than others. It is always important to speak with your physician before trying any new exercise regimen.