Yoga Silences Back Pain and Depression
I'm a clinically depressed, overly-intense, bipolar nut job. I'm a disaster! But, I'm also a Yogi--no, not like the cartoon bear--I practice Yoga regularly.
And, you should too! It's not just cliché, it really does calm you down, at least for a little while.
New research supports two of the claims surrounding Yoga's health benefits: improving mood and decreasing lower back pain.
Published in the journal Spine, after 24 weeks of doing Yoga for 90 minutes twice a week, study participants experienced significant reductions of lower back disability and pain intensity. Many reported feeling better just halfway into the experiment.
As for the mental health component, data showed the yoga group had significantly improved scores for depression. Good news, because in the Western world people use yoga to enhance both physical and mental well-being.
So if you do yoga, I have a question for you--what poses do you struggle with? I can't really bind. My arms, legs and shoulders are too big.
Via Medical News Today.
Never tried Yoga myself but I do meditate as often as I can, it makes a huge difference to how I feel on a day to day basis.
ReplyI have tight ham strings (possibly from wearing heels?), so I have a hard time with downward facing dog. I can't get my heels all the way down, but I'm getting better!
ReplyI am so going to start yoga in January.
ReplyThis is so true!!! I used to scoff at yoga thinking "it is boring and not a real workout..." Until my boyfriend dragged me to hot yoga one time. Since then I have been hooked. I try to make it at least twice a week. I do feel better physically and mentally. I am more calm, I perform better during my intense workouts in the gym. Also depending on the type of yoga you can burn some serious calories, and some poses I swear are building muscles I never knew I had.
ReplyThere isn't a pose that I struggle with but there are some I want to perfect, such as Triangle, warrior 3, half moon pose. Yoga does help mentally...it encourages us to pay attention to every internal aspect as we challenge and develop the external. Plow pose is wonderful for alleviating lower back pain.
ReplyExercises made the pain worse, as I was overdoing. But proper Yoga exercises made me feel comfortable.
ReplyI've tried yoga a few times, but I never seem to be able to stick with it for too long. For whatever reason, it sort of bores me. Maybe I need to try a different type of yoga or get a different instructor, but until then, I've yet to get on the yoga bandwagon. I'm sure there are many benefits to doing it and it'd probably help my tight muscles.
Reply