“I do yoga to burn off the crazy.“ – Unknown
Canadians’ love affair with yoga has no end in sight. People who try it, tend to get hooked on it. Here are a few little known reasons why:
For Back Pain:
Chronic back pain can stop us in our tracks. Recent research found that lower back pain sufferers reported better use of their back after a few months of yoga, even though their pain remained the same.
Yoga’s emphasis on stretching is excellent for spinal mobility in general, so even if you’re not suffering from back pain, it can put a little more jump in your step.
Better Sleep:
A Harvard study found that 8 weeks of yoga helps with insomnia and overall fatigue. Like so many other benefits of yoga, it all comes down to stress reduction.
Better breathing habits, mind-body connection, and the ability to unclench and unwind our bodies after a busy day all lead to better sleep. Yoga can’t take your stressors away, but it can give you the tools to deal with them more effectively.
Releases Toxins:
When you aren’t feeling your best from eating unhealthy or drinking too much, yoga might help. Your body is full of toxins; feeling better is about clearing them.
Yoga gets more blood flowing through your body. That gets more oxygen rich goodness to your extremities and helps your body burn off any unwanted toxins.
Food Cravings:
A new investigation found a correlation between regular and “mindful” eating, which is another way of saying that participants tended to think more about what they put in their mouths.
Yoga makes us aware of our breath and strengthens the connection of our mind to our body. That helps us build a more positive self image and enables us to overcome the emotions that lead to binge eating and cravings.
For Migraine Relief: While we don’t know conclusively what causes migraines, research shows that consistent yoga (ie. several months worth) can help alleviate migraine symptoms in some sufferers.
Sitting hunched over a keyboard or desk all day throws off our muscle alignment. Consistent yoga over time helps realign our bodies into its natural form and can help to ease symptoms.
Getting Pregnant:
Stress gets in the way of a lot of things. For women trying to get pregnant, it can interfere with ovulation cycles and her desire.
While yoga doesn’t improve fertility directly, it can help regulate stress levels and clear that obstacle. Increasing blood flow to reproductive organs can also improve hormone function and increase chances of conceiving overall.
Research Cited:
Back Pain: http://annals.org/aim/article/1033130/yoga-chronic-low-back-pain-randomized-trial
Food Cravings: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19631053
Better Sleep: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15707256
Migraines: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17501846