By: Sarah Schmermund
September has officially been dubbed National Yoga Month by the Department of Health & Human Services (who knew?). In honor of this effort to “build awareness of yoga’s proven health benefits,” I, too, will dedicate my mental efforts to this particular form of exercise.
Full disclaimer: I do not practice yoga. I dabbled in a few free classes in college, but yoga never hooked me like running or kickboxing did. I’ve always imagined that my anxious tendencies and generally restless energy (which are well exercised in cardio-intensive workouts) prevented me from enjoying the more peaceful nature of yoga exercises. Researchers would say that I was right. But researchers would also say that it is exactly this hypervigilant nature that reaps a wealth of benefits from the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual discipline of yoga.
Unfortunately, I am not alone; many Americans experience a persistent, heightened sense of stress. Such constant engagement of our “fight or flight” systems can lead to eventual dysregulation of the system, increasing our risk for a multitude of diseases and health issues, like diabetes, obesity, mental health disorders, autoimmune diseases, and cardiovascular disease. As is associated with other exercise programs, a growing body of research supports that yoga helps remedy this overworked system. ?Practicing yoga appears to have an immediate downregulating effect, thus lowering blood pressure, cortisol and glucose levels, and inflammation. And the mental and emotional effects are instantaneous, decreasing anxiety while increasing feelings of well-being. Over the long-term, yoga and aerobic exercise also appear to have similar cardiac benefits.
In fact, a 2010 study reviewing current health and fitness research found that “yoga appears to be equal or superior to [aerobic] exercise in relieving” symptoms associated with a variety of physical and mental health illnesses and conditions. To name a few: diabetes, multiple sclerosis, kidney disease, renal failure, menopause, pregnancy, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. And while aerobic exercise and yoga may do equally well at making people feel better, it appears yoga is better at relieving perceptions of stress.
This was also found to be true in healthy populations;?both aerobic exercise and yoga were found to decrease perceived stress levels and enhance negative moods, but only those individuals in the yoga group had significantly reduced levels of cortisol (the hormone released when we’re stressed). A proposed explanation for these differences: aerobic exercise further engages our “fight or flight,” adrenaline systems during our workout while the slower movements of yoga actively downregulate this system, reducing the release of cortisol (and thus perceived stress).
With research this compelling, it almost seems we should all jump on the yoga bandwagon and downward-dog away our midsections. But the research is fair to warn: practicing yoga produced lower maximum predicted heart rates and burned fewer calories than slower-than-recommended walking. Your best bet? Incorporating yoga into your regular exercise routine. Yoga has been found to improve stamina and increase endurance, making it an especially attractive adjunctive exercise for athletes in any number of fields. And during National Yoga Month, finding the right way to add yoga to your regimen is even easier with the “One Week Free Yoga” coupon for new students – score!
Ross, A. & Thomas, S. (2010). The health benefits of yoga and exercise: A review of comparison studies. The?Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(1), 3-12. doi:? 10.1089=acm.2009.0044