3 Harvard Articles on the Benefits of Yoga

For those of us who practice yoga regularly the benefits of yoga are clear. But here are three articles I read this week in Harvard Health Publications on some of the many benefits of yoga.

It’s no stretch — Yoga may benefit heart disease

Yoga, an ancient Indian practice once viewed as only for the very fit and flexible, has become as American an activity as jogging and aerobics. Its newfound popularity could be a boon for people with high blood pressure, heart failure, and other forms of cardiovascular disease.

A small but promising body of research suggests that yoga’s combination of stretching, gentle activity, breathing, and mindfulness may have special benefits for people with cardiovascular disease. For more...

Your Brain on Yoga

by Sat Bir Khalsa with Jodie Gould

Does yoga really reduce stress? Can we feel happier after meditating just 10 minutes a day? How about smarter? Your Brain on Yoga presents the latest, cutting-edge studies that show the physical and psychological benefits of yoga and meditation. Author Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D, assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and certified Kundalini Yoga instructor, has conducted clinical research on of yoga and meditation for more than a decade. He offers compelling scientific evidence about how yoga and meditation can change our brains, and our lives, by:

• Reducing stress that makes us look and feel older than our years.
• Making the parts of the brain responsible for memory grow stronger and sharper.
• Elevating our mood and enhancing our spiritual outlook, giving us a sense of peace and calm. For more..

Yoga for Anxiety and Depression

Studies suggest that this practice modulates the stress response.

Since the 1970s, meditation and other stress-reduction techniques have been studied as possible treatments for depression and anxiety. One such practice, yoga, has received less attention in the medical literature, though it has become increasingly popular in recent decades. One national survey estimated, for example, that about 7.5% of U.S. adults had tried yoga at least once, and that nearly 4% practiced yoga in the previous year.

Yoga classes can vary from gentle and accommodating to strenuous and challenging; the choice of style tends to be based on physical ability and personal preference. Hatha yoga, the most common type of yoga practiced in the United States, combines three elements: physical poses, called asanas; controlled breathing practiced in conjunction with asanas; and a short period of deep relaxation or meditation. For more...

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