How yoga changed my life: 10 reasons to start your practice now

three women in a yoga studio in cobra pose

December 10, 2024

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How yoga changed my life: 10 reasons to start your practice now

You know that scene in Home Alone where Kevin slides down the stairs and out the door on his sled? That was me — but without the sled. Or the padded clothes. Or the door open.

I blamed this fall on my intense back pain — only to have an X-ray reveal severe (unrelated) arthritis in my lower back. My doctor’s orders included canceling my Orangetheory membership, filling a script for muscle relaxers, and starting pricey, bi-weekly physical therapy sessions.

I didn’t want drugs or another bill. I wanted … relief, to live again. Completely nervous but desperate, I took a yoga class at a studio in my neighborhood. Then I went back the next day. And the next. I went to the studio every day that week — it felt just so. Damn. Good. Like I was massaging my body from the inside out. Like I was exercising my body and soul. Like I was, well, me again. And I never stopped — I was in it for the long stretch.

The benefits of yoga for women our age are more far-reaching than toe touches: Practicing yoga can improve your quality of life. Here are 10 reasons you should start your yoga practice today:

1. The flexibility flex

Here’s the obvious one. But did you know that increased flexibility, or elongating your muscles, helps keep your body “strong, loose, and ready for anything you throw at it,” according to the Cleveland Clinic? This results from increased range of motion, increased blood flow, better posture, and reduced risk of injuries.

While this alone is a good reason to roll out your mat, get ready to have your mind blown by all that yoga offers.

2. Bigger brain, better memory

“Think of it as weightlifting for the brain,” explains Harvard Health. Practicing yoga creates new connections in your brain cells, improving cognitive function and strengthening the parts of the brain that play a key role in memory, attention, awareness, thought, and language.

In fact, studies using MRI scans and other brain imaging show that yogis have thicker cerebral cortexes (information processing) and hippocampi (learning and memory) than those who don’t practice. Since these areas shrink as we age, this research indicates that yoga can counteract age-related declines in memory and other cognitive skills.

3. Better mood: stress, anxiety, depression

Yoga can significantly decrease stress, anxiety, and depression in women — so much so that it can be used as “complementary medicine” (treatments not raised in modern medicine) to help with these concerns, according to recent study.

Practicing yoga elevates the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in our brains, resulting in better moods, decreased anxiety, and mindful reactions to stressful situations.

4. Healthier heart

We know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and can affect women at any age. Luckily, yoga can strengthen our heart health and combat many factors that lead to heart disease.

“A large number of studies show that yoga benefits many aspects of cardiovascular health,” says Hugh Calkins, M.D., director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Johns Hopkins. Yoga can offset emotional stress that releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which narrow your arteries and increase blood pressure. Beyond destressing, practicing yoga may also help lower your blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood glucose levels, and heart rate.

5. Stronger bones

A study examining the X-rays of folks who did 12 minutes of yoga daily proved that the practice can increase bone density, specifically in the spine and hips. The research concluded that yoga can reverse bone loss that has reached the stages of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Additionally, since yoga can improve balance and posture, it can help reduce the risk of falls and fractures as we age — another concern often discussed alongside osteoporosis.

The forward fold pose stimulates the liver and kidneys, enhances digestion, calms the mind, and reduces blood pressure

6. Chronic pain relief

Yoga can help people with arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, low back pain, neck pain, and many other types of chronic pain conditions, according to recently published studies — and I’m proof of all of the above. Plus, yoga is accessible with chair- (instead of traditional floor-) poses as needed.

Another study on chronic pain revealed that yoga improves our quality of life as described through the “gap theory” — the discrepancy between an individual’s expectations and perceptions of a given situation: “Since chronic pain is multi-dimensional, yoga eventually influences all aspects of the person: vital, mental, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. It offers various levels and approaches to relax, energize, remodel, and strengthen the body and psyche.”