Physiological Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is aimed to unite the mind, body, and spirit. The Yoga teacher, or yogi, believes that the mind and body are one and we, as a society are always looking for ways to make ourselves feel fit, energetic, happy, and peaceful. We do not need to create new methods, instead we need to rely on what has been working for people since the beginning of time. Yoga is a science that is said to be as old as civilization. The earliest evidence of Yoga’s existence, around 3000 B.C. were found in stone seals which depict figures of yoga poses. There is reason to believe that Yoga existed long before 3000 B.C. perhaps its beginnings can be traced to Stone Age Shamanism. Shamanism and Yoga are similar in that the goal for both is to improve the human condition. Although Yoga focuses more on the self, it started out as a community oriented practice. It is considered an ideal method for the body to find harmony from within and provides the body with tools to heal itself. Yoga makes the body more flexible and helps promote a relaxed state even in the most stressful environments. The benefits of Yoga can be grouped into three categories: Physiological, psychological, and biochemical.

Physiological Benefits of Yoga Pulse rate decreases Respiratory rate decreases Eye-hand coordination improves Blood Pressure decreases (of special Dexterity skills improve significance for hyporeactors) Reaction time improves Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases Posture improves EEG - alpha waves increase (theta, delta, Strength and resiliency increase and beta waves also increase during Endurance increases various stages of meditation) Energy level increases EMG activity decreases Weight normalizes Cardiovascular efficiency increases Sleep improves Gastrointestinal function normalizes Immunity increases Endocrine function normalizes Pain decreases Excretory functions improve Steadiness improves Musculoskeletal flexibility and joint range Depth perception improves of motion increase Balance improves Breath-holding time increases Integrated functioning of body parts Joint range of motion increase improves Grip strength increases

Psychological Benefits of Yoga Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase Mood improves Mood improves and subjective well-being Self-actualization increase increases Social skills increases Self-acceptance and self-actualization Well-being increases increase Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase Social adjustment increases Self-acceptance increase Anxiety and Depression decrease Attention improves Hostility decreases Concentration improves Concentration improves Memory improves Memory improves Learning efficiency improves Attention improves Symbol coding improves Learning efficiency improves Depth perception improves Flicker fusion frequency improves Biochemical Benefits of Yoga Glucose decreases Sodium decreases ATPase increases Total cholesterol decreases Hematocrit increases Triglycerides decrease Hemoglobin increases HDL cholesterol increases Lymphocyte count increases LDL cholesterol decreases Total white blood cell count decreases VLDL cholesterol decreases Thyroxin increases Cholinesterase increases Vitamin C increases Catecholamines decrease Total serum protein increases

Yoga Health Benefits versus Exercise Benefits Yoga Benefits Parasympathetic Nervous System Effort is minimized, relaxed dominates Energizing (breathing is natural or Subcortical regions of brain controlled) dominate Balanced activity of opposing Slow dynamic and static muscle groups movements Noncompetitive, process-oriented Normalization of muscle tone Awareness is internal (focus is on Low risk of injuring muscles and breath and the infinite) ligaments Limitless possibilities for growth in Low caloric consumption self-awareness

Exercise Benefits Sympathetic Nervous System Fatiguing (breathing is taxed) dominates Imbalance activity of opposing Cortical regions of brain dominate groups Rapid forceful movements Competitive, goal-oriented Increased muscle tension Awareness is external (focus is on Higher risk of injury reaching the toes, reaching the finish line, etc.) Moderate to high caloric consumption Boredom factor Effort is maximized