Introduction to Yoga Test
The sooner you start yoga, the sooner you reap its amazing health benefits!
Modern Science Proves Yoga’s Far-reaching Health Benefits
Tone and strengthen your body while you lower blood pressure … ease back pain … reduce the risk of heart disease … and improve your memory with YOGA!
Reduced risk of heart disease. A review and meta-analysis of 37 randomized controlled trials, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that yoga can have a beneficial impact on numerous risk factors for heart disease, from high blood pressure and cholesterol levels to excess body weight and a large waist circumference.
Better sleep. Sleep problems tend to increase as you get older, but a study done on adults ages 60 and up offers some good news. When scientists surveyed 35 seniors who had been doing a daily yoga practice for at least two years, they found that those who did yoga fell asleep 10 minutes faster, got an extra hour of sleep, and felt more rested when they woke up in the morning, compared with seniors who did not do yoga.
A sharper brain. In a 2019 review of 11 imaging studies showed that participants who practiced yoga had a thicker cerebral cortex (the area of the brain responsible for information processing) and hippocampus (the area of the brain involved in learning and memory) than nonpractitioners. These areas of the brain typically shrink as you age, but the older participants showed less shrinkage in these areas compared with non- practitioners. This suggests that yoga may counteract age-related declines in memory and other cognitive skills.
But that’s not all! Yoga can also:
- Dramatically ease lower back pain and even alleviate arthritis pain
- Lower the need for diabetes medications by as much as 40%
- Rev up your immunity by raising levels of disease-fighting antioxidants in your body
- Switch on genes that promote health — works even if you’re a beginner
- Reduce depression, chronic pain, and even improve PTSD symptoms
- Lower your risk of falling and help you regain your balance if you stumble
And you may even be able to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and fight age-related declines in memory through the meditation component of yoga.
In fact, yoga does so much for your health that studies show people who do yoga use 43% fewer medical services, and they save anywhere from $640 to more than $25,000!
Harvard Medical School's An Introduction to Yoga gives you everything you need to start your practice safely, including
- Physical postures to target your musculoskeletal system.
- Breathing exercises for your heart and lung functioning.
- And meditations to improve your cognitive and emotional functioning.
By combining these practices, you get the benefits of each, making the practice of yoga that much more powerful.
Free Sneak Peek #1: A Loosening Yoga Exercise that Helps You Link Breath and Movement for a More Mindful Practice
Starting position: Sit or stand with your feet slightly apart; arms relaxed at sides.
Movement: As you exhale, slowly lower your chin toward your chest so you feel a gentle stretch in the back of your neck. As you inhale, raise your head backward, looking up to the ceiling. Go only as far as comfortable, feeling a gentle stretch in the front of your neck. That’s one rep. Reps: 3
Where you’ll feel it: Back and front of neck.
Tips and techniques:
- You can modify the move by not flexing and extending your neck as far.
- Keep your shoulders relaxed and down, away from your ears.
Note: If you are elderly, have any neck problems, high blood pressure, or osteoporosis, check with your doctor before doing this move.
Free Sneak Peek #2: An Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique for When You Need to be Mentally Sharp!
As the name implies, you breathe in and out through alternating nostrils—breathing in through one nostril and out through the opposite one.
Starting position: To try alternate nostril breathing, sit in a comfortable position. You’ll be using your right thumb and right ring finger to alternately block your nostrils. (If you are left-handed, it may be more comfortable for you to use your left hand.)
Technique: Start by gently using your thumb to close your right nostril. Inhale deeply through your left nostril. Hold your breath as you use your ring finger to close your left nostril. Release your right nostril and exhale through it. Now, leaving the ring finger in place, inhale deeply through your right nostril. Then release your left nostril to exhale.
Some of the most effective and most powerful yoga practices are as simple as that. Over time, this one simple practice can improve your flexibility and range of motion.