Practice Yoga If You Want To Live Longer and Be Happier

I’ve been doing yoga for many years. It’s my happy place.  I’m not alone. Today yoga is the most popular complementary health approach practiced by millions of people all over the world.  It’s also widely studied by scientists,  who consistently validate yoga’s longevity benefits.  When you practice yoga, you’ll enjoy a happier, healthier and longer life. Here’s why!

Science confirms yoga’s super longevity powers

The practice of yoga dates back over 2000 years to ancient India. For eons of years, yoga has unified the mind, body, and spirit through the practice of physical movements, meditation and breathing exercises.

About 300 million people practice yoga regularly worldwide. 

Over the course of its lengthy existence, many different schools of yoga have emerged. Each places a different emphasis on the practice. However, despite their different philosophies and combinations of exercises, these yoga styles are all integrated in the common theme. Uniting the mind and body.

The health benefits of yoga are extensive

As we know, the health benefits of physical exercise are well established.  In recent years, the active attentional component of breathing and meditation practice has attracted interest among exercise neuroscientists. This is where yoga’s true super powers shine.

Boosts your brain health

In recent times, yoga’s potential as a therapy to combat the alarming increase in age-related neurodegenerative diseases has been studied.

In one such study, a group of researchers reviewed 11 studies examining the effects of yoga practice on the brain structures, function and cerebral blood flow.   The brain structure and function, was assessed with MRI, fMRI, and SPECT. (2)

What researchers found

Researchers found that collectively, the studies demonstrated a positive effect of yoga practice on the structure and/or function of the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and brain networks including the default mode network (DMN). As we age many regions in our brain atrophy. They start dying. Studies offer promising early evidence that behavioral interventions like yoga, may hold promise to ward off  some of these age-related and neurodegenerative declines.

Think about it. Older adults are the fastest growing population in the US and around the world with over 2 billion people expected to be ≥60 years of age by 2050.

Age is the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia in those aged 65 and older.

Combat alzheimers and dementia

Scientists have been looking at ways to combat these debilitating diseases. In the absence of any effective treatments to cure Alzheimer’s and dementia or manage its symptoms, researchers have studied how to modify people’s lifestyle behaviors.  Through nutrition and physical activity researchers believe we could achieve beneficial plasticity of the aging brain and slow down age-related cognitive decline.

Go with the flow

They’ve also discovered that yoga practice has a positive effect on the functional connectivity of the DMN. This is the activity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex while engaged in cognitive tasks.

When you do yoga the structure of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex- all regions are known to show significant age-related changes.

Even individuals who have disabilities or symptoms that prevent them from performing more vigorous forms of exercise, can do yoga.

When you do yoga you have oxygen and blood flow going through your brain.  Just think about it. You spend the majority of your life standing up, walking, but mostly upright.  Or with gravity pulling you towards your feet.    So it’s really important to get that flow going in the opposite direction towards the brain.

Yoga boosts your metabolism

Specific yoga sequences can boost your metabolism and improve your physical health. Help you lose weight, which in turn always makes us feel happier.

Weight loss

Many people do exercise for weight loss, or to manage their weight. Yoga definitely helps. You will need to choose a practice that enables this best.  In a systematic review by Larson-Meyer examined the metabolic energy expenditure during Hatha yoga, which is the most widely practiced style of yoga in the United States. (19) This review found that, while some specific yoga poses can be metabolically exerting (with energy expenditures >3 METS).

My favorite practice is hot yoga. Some people know it as Bikram yoga, although there are many  other hot yoga variations these days.  For me, hot yoga offers all the regular benefits of yoga with a few added extras resulting from the heat.  You will experience enhanced cardio challenge and increased flexibility. The heat enables the body to relax into postures and deepens breathing and physical practice.

Research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that hot yoga participants can experience increased shoulder, lower back, and hamstring flexibility after just eight weeks.

10 yoga practices to choose from

You can practice yoga at any age and stage of life

Compared to traditional forms of aerobic and anaerobic exercise,  yoga is relatively low-impact and modifiable. This makes it accessible to people of all ages and at all stages of life.

Which is why it is so suitable and appealing for aging populations too. (20).

Better still; you can practice yoga for your entire lifetime.  It’s a fact!  Sivananda, also known as Swami Sivananda, is a yoga teacher from India. He claims to be 128 years.

The yogi claims he was born on 8 August 1896 (unverified) in Sylhet District of Bengal Presidency of British India. On 21 March 2022, he was awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India. (20)

Supports better all round health

There are many positive associations between yoga practice and improvements in diabetes, cardiovascular function, and musculoskeletal conditions. (7,8,9,10,11,12).

There’s also considerable evidence for the beneficial effects of yoga practice on mental health. This includes anxiety, stress depression and overall mental health. (12,13,14,15,16,17,18).

Yoga’s focus on improving the self through both physical and mental practices incorporates more mindful elements that are absent in traditional forms of exercise.

The physical benefits from sequentially completing the postures, the breathing (pranayama) and meditation exercises included in yoga are practiced to calm and focus the mind and develop greater self-awareness [17].

Researchers say  the combination of metacognitive thought and bodily proprioception during yoga practice could generalize to conventionally assessed cognitive functions including attention, memory, and higher-order executive functions.

Combats depression and reduce stress

Depression and stress are known to have a negative impact on both cognitive functioning and brain structure.

The positive impact yoga has on brain health reveals the potential of yoga to improve anxiety, depression, stress and overall mental health.  And did you know, yoga practice can be used to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder?

Community

When you practice regular yoga, you’ll find yourself among a community of like minded individuals. This important aspect of yoga’s influence on community is perhaps often overlooked. Over my lifetime of practicing yoga, in different studios in many different cities and countries, I’ve always been touched by the amazing camaraderie.  You’re always made to feel welcome, no matter who you are, or where you are from.

Yoga taps into our pure consciousness

We all have our own spiritual beliefs and practice. This is where yoga is so perfect.  No matter your belief sytem, you will experience an openness and resonance when you practice yoga.

End note

With yoga you’ ll truly experience many health benefits.  I hope in reading this post I may have inspired you to try it out, or to go back to a more regular practice.  I cannot imagine my life without yoga practice.  And I am hoping to live healthier and happier for longer.

References

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