Stretch Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Kasia Carter USU Extension Intern, Cindy Nelson Extension Associate Professor

At times, yoga looks like a simple flowing exercise without much physical exertion or muscle strength. This is far from the truth. Yoga has been proven not only beneficial for your mental health but can have an amazing impact on your physical health as well. Yoga is when you move your body into simple positions to create harmony between your mind and body. The health benefits of yoga include not only improvement in balance but also an increase in strength and flexibility. Implementing yoga into your everyday life can improve your overall health.

A 2017 study evaluated the effects of yoga on sleep, diurnal cortisol, stress, and malignant cell count on patients with metastatic breast cancer. This three-month study showed amazing outcomes. The results indicated a great decrease in not only sleep deprivation but also walking cortisol levels and less stress for the patients. (Patel & Veidlinger, 2023) This study explored just one of many examples of how yoga can benefit physical health.

Incorporating yoga into your everyday life can be very beneficial. Yoga can help your heart to be healthier. According to a cardiologist at the Penn Heart and Vascular Center, Dr. Helene Glassberg, “Yoga, like other forms of exercise, can improve your cholesterol and blood sugar levels by improving metabolism, and can lower blood pressure by improving artery relaxation.” (Goodman, 2016). By lowering your blood pressure, cholesterol level, and blood sugar through the continued practice of yoga, you
can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Yoga is also great for helping with joints. The continuous moving and stretching in yoga causes your joints and muscles to be used constantly. “The movements or postures in yoga help keep the muscles around the joints strong and flexible. You also learn proper alignment of the skeleton, which helps alleviate joint pain caused by misalignment. Keep in mind that any movement can be modified to minimize pressure or pain to already achy areas of the body.” (Bar, 2017). Doing yoga can help your mind and body relax, which is good for improving sleep and reducing stress.

Yoga is a beneficial exercise that everyone could learn and include in their daily routine. Yoga has small simple steps that can make a significant difference in overall health. Yoga not only allows the mind to relax but the body as well. Yoga can help strengthen muscles and joints and reduce chronic pain. It can also improve heart health, decreasing the risk of heart disease. Yoga has been proven to lower stress and allow for better sleep. Integrating the simple moves of yoga into your daily routine can help you become a happier and healthier person.

References

(American Psychological Assoc.) Patel R., & Veidlinger D (2023) Exploring the Benefits of Yoga for Mental and Physical Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Religions, 14(4), 538. Retrieved June 22, 2023, from https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.3390/rel14040538

Goodman, B. (2016, March 17). How Yoga Benefits the Heart. Penn Medicine. Retrieved July 5, 2023, from https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/heart-and-vascular-blog/2016/march/howyoga-benefits-the-heart

Bar, J. (2017, February 21). Can Yoga Help Symptoms of Osteoarthritis? – Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials. Retrieved July 5, 2023, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-yoga-can-help-you-combat-the-effects-of-osteoarthritis/