What yoga does to your body and brain - Krishna Sudhir

At some point between the first and fifth
century CE,

the Hindu sage Patañjali began to codify
the ancient,

meditative traditions practiced
throughout India.

He recorded techniques nearly as old as
Indian civilization itself

in 196 manuals called the Yoga Sutras.

These texts defined yoga as the ‘yoking’
or restraining of the mind

from focusing on external objects in
efforts

to reach a state of pure consciousness.

Over time, yoga came to incorporate
physical elements

from gymnastics and wrestling.

Today, there are a multitude of approaches
to modern yoga –

though most still maintain the three core
elements of Patañjali’s practice:

physical postures, breathing exercises,
and spiritual contemplation.

Yoga’s supporters say this blend
of physical and mental exercise

has a unique set of advantages
for our health.

Yoga is widely believed to improve
strength and flexibility,

boost heart and lung function, and enhance
psychological well-being.

But what does the science actually say
about the modern benefits

of this ancient tradition?

Despite attempts by many researchers,
yoga has proven a tough subject to study.

Its unique combination of activities makes
it difficult to determine

which component is producing a
specific health benefit.

Additionally, yoga studies are often made
up of small sample sizes

that lack diversity,

and the heavy reliance on self-reporting
makes results subjective.

However, there are some health benefits

that have more robust scientific
support than others.

Let’s start with flexibility and strength.

Contorting your body into yoga’s physical
postures stretches multiple muscle groups.

In the short term, stretching can change
the water content of these muscles,

ligaments, and tendons to make
them more elastic.

Over time, regular stretching
stimulates stem cells

that then differentiate into more
elastic collagen and muscle tissue.

Frequent stretching also reduces the
body’s natural reflex

to constrict muscles,

improving your pain tolerance for feats
of flexibility.

Researchers haven’t found that any one
form of yoga

improves flexibility more than another,

so the impact of specific
postures is unclear.

Additionally, yoga hasn’t proved superior
to other low-impact exercise

when it comes to improving fitness
and flexibility in healthy populations.

However, the practice has been shown to be
an especially powerful therapeutic tool.

In studies involving patients with a
variety of musculo-skeletal disorders,

yoga was more helpful at reducing pain and
improving mobility

than other forms of low-impact exercise.

Adding yoga to an existing exercise
routine can improve strength

and flexibility for hard to treat
conditions like chronic lower back pain,

rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis.

Yoga’s mix of physical exercise and
regimented breathing

has proven similarly therapeutic
for lung health.

Lung diseases like chronic bronchitis,
emphysema, and asthma

shrink the passageways that carry oxygen,

while weakening the membrane that
brings oxygen into the blood.

But breathing exercises like those found
in yoga

relax the muscles constricting those
passageways and improve oxygen diffusion.

Increasing the blood’s oxygen content
is especially helpful

for those with weak heart muscles

who have difficulty pumping
enough oxygen throughout the body.

And for those with healthy hearts,

this practice can lower blood pressure
and reduce risk factors

for cardiovascular disease.

Yoga’s most widely celebrated benefit
may be the most difficult to prove:

its psychological effects.

Despite the longstanding association
between yoga and psychological wellbeing,

there’s little conclusive evidence on
how the practice affects mental health.

One of the biggest claims

is that yoga improves symptoms of
depression and anxiety disorders.

However, since diagnosis of these
conditions

varies widely in origin and severity,

it’s difficult to quantify yoga’s impact.

There is evidence to suggest yoga can
help reduce the symptoms of stress,

but no more than meditation
or relaxation.

Research on the effects of
yoga is still evolving.

In the future, we’ll need larger studies,
incorporating diverse participants,

which can measure yoga’s impact
on heart attacks, cancer rates,

cognitive function and more.

But for now, we should primarily practice
yoga as a way to exercise,

reflect, and relax.

So if you miss your class, don’t tie
yourself into knots about it.