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I don\u2019t practice yoga daily because of the health benefits. I practice because I know that I am guaranteed to feel amazing<\/span> afterwards.<\/span><\/p>\n Part of what I really value in my yoga practice is a feeling of personal freedom and spaciousness. After practicing, I feel a spaciousness in my joints, my cells somehow seem larger, bursting with energy and more vibrant. <\/span><\/p>\n There seems to be space in-between the vertebrae where the bones used to be crunched up and hunched over. My body feels free to move, to take up space, to breathe deeply. And that very visceral, physical feeling of freedom changes how I think. I feel free! <\/span><\/p>\n Things that were worrying me, somehow seem to slip away \u2013 I\u2019m able to get into the \u2018zone\u2019, in which I feel less anxious about big decisions and am just more focused and make better decisions. <\/span>\u00a0It makes me more focused, think clearer and yes, my yoga practice certainly does make me a happier, more focused, person.<\/span><\/p>\n Physical movement of any kind makes us feel great, and on one level, yoga is just a very effective way of making the body move in every different direction, strengthening and lengthening all at once. <\/span><\/p>\n And for me, the joy of moving is one thing, but when combined with very deep, conscious breathing? <\/span><\/p>\n That is a complete game-changer!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yoga is so much more than a work-out or a stretch class, it\u2019s a work-in challenging the mind and body in ways that no other \u2018fitness\u2019 regime can touch.<\/span><\/p>\n But what does the science say? Why is yoga so good. Just in case you need more science than my personal recommendation and your personal experience – here is a brief synopsis of the results of some studies into yoga.<\/span><\/p>\n Several studies have highlighted the effects of yoga on mood. <\/span><\/p>\n In 2005, German researchers asked a group of \u2018emotionally distressed\u2019 women to undertake three hours of yoga a week for three months. <\/span><\/p>\n Researchers saw a 50% improvement in depression, 30% in anxiety and 65% improvement in overall wellbeing. <\/span><\/p>\n The therapeutic effects of yoga have also been proven with psychiatric patients, sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder, and women experiencing the menopause or postmenopausal symptoms. <\/span><\/p>\n In this\u00a0study<\/a><\/span>, meas<\/span>ures of positive and negative affect, mindfulness, perceived stress, and arousal states were taken in 24 people with an existing weekly yoga practice. <\/span><\/p>\n Some of whom maintained their weekly practice whilst others started a five-times-per-week practice across a fortnight. <\/span><\/p>\n The morning daily practice group (five times weekly) showed significant beneficial changes in each of the measures, including an increased ability to cope with stress. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a fact \u2013 yoga helps relieve chronic insomnia. Even if you don\u2019t really have a sleep \u2018problem\u2019, the deep breathing, physical exercise and mindfulness associated with a yoga practice help calm the nervous system and improve your zzzzs.<\/span><\/p>\n A 2014 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that breast-cancer survivors who practiced yoga showed a 10\u201315% reduction in inflammation markers compared to those who didn\u2019t, helping them feel less fatigued and more energised. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s no coincidence that yogis seem to be society\u2019s most zenned- out citizens. <\/span><\/p>\n Lots of reviews have made a link between yoga and the modulation of stress response systems, including raised heart rate, high blood pressure and shallow breathing. <\/span><\/p>\n Everything about yoga, from the slow, steady breathing to the inversions, can help lower the amount of cortisol in your brain. <\/span><\/p>\n Cortisol is the hormone that appears when you’re stressed; \u00a0activating the brain amygdala, also known as the fear centre. <\/span><\/p>\n The pre-frontal cortex, the area which manages self-control and discipline is shrunk. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As well as dropping cortisol levels, certain areas in the brain increase after yoga practice. <\/span><\/p>\n One of these areas is the hippocampus, which helps us to deal with stress and anxiety. <\/span><\/p>\n Yoga has been proven to be better for improving moods than simply exercising. <\/span><\/p>\n The chemical associated with decreasing anxiety and improving moods, <\/span>gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), increase significantly<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Boston University studied 34 individuals over 12-weeks, half of which spent one hour three times a week walking, while the other did yoga for the same amount of time. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The level of GABA rose in the yogis by 27 percent. The walkers’ results were much less significant. <\/span><\/p>\n Also, dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that help us feel more relaxed and ready to handle stressful situations, rose significantly. <\/span><\/p>\n Antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs are used to target these exact neurotransmitters<\/span><\/a>, so you’ve got a lot to gain from trying yoga.<\/span><\/p>\n However, we love a walk in nature and don\u2019t think that doing yoga inside is any kind of substitute for the power of nature or the great outdoors\u2026. <\/span><\/p>\n So why not take your yoga outside? <\/span><\/p>\n Yoga actually helps to increase the size of certain parts of your brain, such as the superior parietal cortex, which helps you concentrate your attention on specific things! <\/span><\/p>\n This is great news for us multi-taskers who always have a million things to do and projects on the go. Want to increase your focus and productivity in each of those million tasks? Look no further than yoga.<\/span><\/p>\n 60 to 80% of adults suffer from back pain (yes, that shocked us too). But it probably explains why every second yogi you meet seems to have a story about how yoga helped them heal. <\/span><\/p>\n But do others agree? They sure do! <\/span><\/p>\n The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has specifically mentioned yoga specifically as a form of exercise to reduce back pain. <\/span><\/p>\n The inversions, too, has a lovely anti-gravity effect on the spine which results in spaciousness in the\u00a0spine instead of crunching!<\/span><\/p>\n To us, yoga is so much more than fitness. So much more. But you can\u2019t argue with the fact that yoga improves balance, flexibility, the range of motion and strength, leading to an altogether fitter you. <\/span><\/p>\n In a world where there are a million cancer \u2018cures\u2019 yet no cure for cancer, we need to be careful about any claims about cancer. <\/span><\/p>\n But<\/span> the Central Council of Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN) has conducted two research projects in collaboration with Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore\u00a0<\/span>on the application of yoga in improving quality of life in cancer patients. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The first was ‘integrated approach of yoga therapy in the management of cancer’. <\/span><\/p>\n The second was ‘effect of an integrated approach of yoga therapy for metastatic breast cancer patients and study of DNA r<\/span>epair mechanism relevant to cancer’. The study showed a significant decrease in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, pain, insomnia and fatigue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Again, know that yoga won\u2019t be the magical cure, but we know that those fighting cancer will feel better with some yoga.<\/p>\n The<\/span> linked article below<\/span><\/a> takes a strong stance on yoga’s benefits beyond physical exercise, conducting as it does a review and comparison of studies of both exercise and yoga independently.<\/span><\/p>\n The evidence suggests that yoga interventions appear to be equal and\/or superior to exercise in most outcome measures for people with various health conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n Emphasis on breath regulation, mindfulness during practice, and importance is given to maintenance of postures are some of the elements which are cited as differentiating yoga practices from physical exercises.<\/span><\/p>\n If you are as fascinated as we are on how yoga helps us to feel amazing, and you want to check out some of these studies, we lifted them from Your Brain on Yoga<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Or – you could do your own research. <\/span><\/p>\n Write how you feel physically and emotionally before and after every practice and see how you feel changes over the 30 day period. And let us know, we’d love to hear your results.<\/span><\/p>\n We love science and love an experiment, and there\u2019s no better person to experiment on than yourself!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Happy experimenting!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/movementformodernlife.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/pexels-photo-268101.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nThe Game Changer<\/h3>\n
Evidence, you say?<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/h3>\nYoga Makes You Happier<\/h3>\n
Emotional well-being is, of course, of utmost importance to our physical and mental health. <\/span><\/h3>\n
These findings highlight the benefits of a daily yoga practice and perhaps might prompt us to roll out our mats a little more regularly.<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/h3>\nYoga Helps You Sleep Better<\/h3>\n
Yoga Reduces Inflammation<\/h3>\n
Yoga Helps Reduce Stress<\/h3>\n
Regular practice of yoga can <\/span>cause cortisol levels to drop<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h3>\n
It was found that the hippocampus was considerably increased in yogis as compared to non-yogis.<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nYoga Increases Your Focus<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/h3>\nYoga Alleviates Back Pain<\/h3>\n
It just makes sense that the back hurts with most of our sedentary lives and it needs to be moved, twisted and stretched. <\/span><\/h3>\n
Yoga Makes You Fitter<\/h3>\n
<\/b>Yoga Can Help Fight Cancer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
This study showed decreased distress, reduced side effects, increased natural killer cell counts and increased pain threshold. <\/span><\/h3>\n
>>We Have Our Own Series of Yoga For Cancer Survivors Just Here>><\/a><\/h5>\n
Is Yoga Just Exercise?<\/h3>\n
Yes! Of course! The conscious movement done mindfully and combined with breathing techniques are surely the way forward.<\/span><\/h3>\n
Do Your Own Research<\/h3>\n
How about this – you commit to practicing yoga every day for the next 30 days. Conduct your own scientific study!\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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