Scientists & Yoga

“The second half of the 20th century witnessed a dramatic influx of Yoga into the West. Yoga has become a household word. Many adverts have appeared showing postures advertising all sorts of products (I recall a beer advert as the strangest use of Yoga to sell something!). I often wonder what the average person, who hasn’t been along to a class or followed a DVD, thinks Yoga involves. At best people think it’s a form of exercise requiring extreme flexibility. Frequently people have said ‘Oh you teach exercise in weird shapes, I’m not flexible. I couldn’t possibly do it.’ At worst, people shrink away, leaving you feeling that you have ‘cult’ stamped on your forehead.
The thing is, I know Yoga is good for me and I can feel the benefits. However, it can be difficult to say more than ‘It is relaxing’ or ‘I feel healthier’. There is a growing amount of research about Yoga, particularly in India and America. Although some of the results may seem obvious to someone who has experienced Yoga, it is important for the scientific community that the benefits are proven and may even convince some of your more sceptical acquaintances to try it. I have also included research that examined whether Yoga could specifically benefit back pain and stress, conditions that are common in Yoga classes and everyday life.
There is a substantial amount of research now showing that participating in a class of Yoga postures has a beneficial effect on well-being. Well-being has been measured using many different scales, including emotional and physical ones. Significant^* reductions in negative emotions and cortisol levels (an indicator of stress) were shown after even a one-off 90-minute Hatha Yoga class. However, most research examined the effects on regular Yoga practitioners or asked people to attend class for one or more months...”

Written by Tessa Sanderson, this article continues to discuss the results of various research projects into the effects of Yoga. Tessa is a British Wheel of Yoga teacher and a researcher. She is currently working towqards a PhD about well-being and treatment outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis, but is interested in well-being generally. See also HERE

^* In research, ‘significant’ means that a statistical calculation has shown that there is a true difference between two different groups or variables.