What yoga does to your body and brain - Krishna Sudhir
At some point between
the 1st and 5th 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.
This blend of physical
and mental exercise
is widely believed to have a unique set
of health advantages.
Such as improving strength
and flexibility,
boosting heart and lung function,
and enhancing psychological well-being.
But what have contemporary studies shown
regarding the benefits
of this ancient tradition?
Despite attempts by many researchers,
it's tough to make specific claims
about yoga's advantages.
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.
Twisting 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
which then differentiate
into new muscle tissue
and other cells that generate
elastic collagen.
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.
But like other low-impact exercises,
yoga reliably improves fitness
and flexibility in healthy populations.
The practice has also been shown to be
a potentially 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.
Since diagnosis of these conditions
varies widely
as do their origin and severity,
it’s difficult to quantify yoga’s impact.
However, there is evidence to suggest
that yoga can help reduce
the symptoms of stress,
as well as 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, yoga can continue
its ancient tradition
as a way to exercise, reflect, and relax.
