3 surprising ways yoga can boost your health, backed by science

Looking to improve your physical and mental health? Add a yoga class to your fitness routine and feel the mind/body benefits.

The ancient practise of yoga has become incredibly popular in today’s busy society, with over two million Aussies practising regularly. Devotees of downward dog and flying pigeon have long sworn by a regular commitment to spend time on the mat, finding emotional and physical benefits. But for outsiders, it can be easy to dismiss this series of poses as little more than structured meditation.

For most people, the initial hook is that yoga can be a great mood booster. But once you commit to it, the benefits can roll into other parts of life.

Only recently have there been moves to substantiate the claims of the dedicated through research. And so far, the results are providing significant evidence of the broad-ranging benefits of yoga, both as a treatment and preventative form of health care.

Whether you’re a regular yogi, slightly cynical or just keen to try something new, we look at three recent studies of yoga and how those findings can boost your health.

A comprehensive study, published in Frontiers of Immunology, found that far more disease-fighting genes were active in the bodies of long-term practitioners of yoga and meditation. In particular, they found genes that protect from disorders such as pain, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis and infertility were all “switched on” in people that practise yoga regularly. These changes, according to the researchers, were induced by what they dubbed “the relaxation effect” bought on by a regular yoga and meditation practice.

We know the effects of stress on the body can be far reaching. But research shows that the active emphasis on the breath shown in yoga can help change your mood and autonomic function.

With each breath, millions of sensory receptors in the respiratory system send signals via your nerves to the brainstem. If you’re stressed out and breathing fast, your brain is pinged at a higher rate triggering it to activate via the sympathetic nervous system - dialling up stress hormones like cortisol, as well as your heart rate, blood pressure and anxiety.

When you slow your breath through a practise like yoga, you induce the parasympathetic nervous system, dialling down all of those stress responses and instead turning up relaxation, calm and mental clarity.

More strenuous types of yoga, like Ashtanga and Vinyasa, can boost your cardiovascular system and build strength and flexibility. A number of yoga poses in these practices require you to lift your own body weight – like crow pose – or hold poses that’ll really work your core. Think chair pose, boat, and side planks. Ouch.