What's the Benefit of Practicing Yoga?

Yoga Effectiveness Under Clinical Trials
A great number of studies have been done in order to check the benefits of yoga. There are currently more than 1,600 studies being conducted to check the benefits, most have shown that the effects have indeed been good.

Yoga has reportedly been able to increase blood circulation, increase the nutrients supply to the body, and give deep relaxation to its practitioner.
Heart and Blood Circulation
At Menninger Foundation, Kansas, researchers have found that yoga meditation affects the heart and improves blood circulation.


Asthma and Energy

Published in the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet (1990), a study has reported that yoga breathing has been able to reduce the frequency of asthma attack. At the same time, an Oxford study has found that yoga breathing is more effective in restoring energy than relaxation or visualizations.


Stress and Yoga

In a study, rats that were placed in head stands for 1 hour per day and subjected to shocks have been shown to be more adaptable to stressful conditions compared to other that do not. Human beings who practice postures like head stands have also been shown to be more "stress hardy."


Lower Anxiety

Another benefit of yoga is in making you less depressed and calmer. People who practiced yogic meditation have been showed to increase their skin resistance (i.e. felt less stress and strain) by 200 % within only 10 minutes they began to meditate. The anxiety level remained low for long period after the meditation session ended.

Blood and Cholesterol

Yoga has been shown to lower the blood pressure, diminish the accumulated carbon dioxide and relax the mind. At the same time, when used along with dietary change, has been able to reduce cholesterol level by 14 points in 3 weeks.


Arthritis

In British Journal of Rheumatology (1994), yoga has been reported to benefit patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.


Other Problems

Yoga has also been used successfully as an adjunctive therapy for asthma, migraine and cancer. A regular yoga practice has been able to improve the life of people suffering from diabetes by lowering their sugar level.


Psychologically

Because of its psychological benefit, yoga has also been used for drug treatment among prisoners, to help people to stop smoking and to improve job satisfaction.