Yoga isn’t just about flexibility; it’s also great for improving memory, heart health, and bone strength. Nowadays, many Brits are diving into yoga, spending about £790 million a year on classes and equipment. Yoga may seem odd at times with trends like rage yoga or even dog yoga, but its real benefits are increasingly backed by science.
For example, researchers from UCLA found that a three-month course of yoga and meditation was better at reducing age-related brain changes than traditional memory exercises. It also helped breast cancer survivors sleep better.
People like Lucy Edge, who turned to yoga instead of medication during a deep depression, have found significant benefits. Lucy traveled to India to study yoga, and although she didn’t achieve a “yoga goddess” body, she found a new sense of happiness and contentment. Now, she’s an author and runs Yoga Meds, a part of her website listing over 300 clinical trials demonstrating yoga’s benefits for various conditions.
If you want to boost your memory, you might want to consider yoga. A UCLA study compared 12 weeks of memory exercises with yoga and meditation on adults over 55. The yoga group showed better improvements in spatial and visual memories, reduced depression and anxiety, and increased resilience to stress.
You don’t need to do hours of headstands to benefit; one hour of Kundalini yoga per week can make a difference. It combines gentle postures, breathing techniques, and meditation. Additionally, participants in the study did 20 minutes daily of Kirtan Kriya, a meditation involving chanting and visualizing light.
Yoga can also support heart health. A 2014 review in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology suggested that yoga might lower heart disease risk as effectively as conventional exercise like brisk walking. Yoga helps manage stress, a major contributor to heart disease by lowering blood pressure and heart rate.
For heart health, try stress-reducing yoga poses or Restorative yoga, where you use bolsters and cushions to relax. This type of yoga can be especially good at lowering stress quickly.
Yoga is beneficial for back pain as well. For example, Sarah Shone, a physiotherapist, integrated yoga into a rehabilitation program, and 87% of participants reported pain reduction. Yoga is even recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) for lower back pain. It also strengthens pelvic floor muscles and can help increase bone density because it is weight-bearing.
If you’re new to yoga, notify your instructor about any health issues and start with gentle styles like Hatha or Iyengar yoga. If you have specific conditions like back pain, you may qualify for subsidized yoga classes through an exercise referral scheme.
Good yoga props can enhance your practice. When picking a yoga mat, consider where you’ll store it, how portable you need it to be, and its thickness, which can prevent joint pain. For example, Valka Yoga offers an eco-friendly, durable Elephant Cork Yoga mat that’s comfortable and antimicrobial. It’s thicker to protect joints and comes with a carry strap, plus a 15-day money-back guarantee.
Yoga blocks also help with difficult poses by adding length, and cork blocks are great for their stability and grip.
Different styles of yoga are suited for various needs:
– For relaxation, try Yin or Restorative yoga with props like blankets and bolsters.
– For more energy, Vinyasa Flow links postures with breath in a dance-like sequence.
– For precise alignment, Iyengar yoga holds poses longer and uses props.
– For a fun, upbeat experience, Anusara yoga combines alignment with flowing movements.
Yoga Therapy is another option, especially if you’re dealing with specific injuries or illnesses, as it involves teachers trained to tailor yoga to individual healing needs.
There are many styles and benefits to explore, which makes it easy to find a form of yoga that suits your needs.
