The many benefits of yoga

So if yoga is so beneficial to children and mental health, then why isn’t it in more schools? Actually, it is. Since 2002, there has been a push to include yoga in public schools as part of the physical fitness curriculum. The goal has been to see if adding yoga to the standard recess and physical education curriculum has any positive impact on focus, attitude and behavior, and the results have shown an overwhelming increase in attentiveness in class, behavior and test scores.

Today, yoga is practiced in over 100 schools in 26 states, with other states taking notice and pushing for time in their curricula for kids to experience the benefits of yoga. Gym programs are acknowledging its benefits, and even sports teams have discovered its uses at not only strengthening their athletes, but at calming and focusing them before a game.

The mental benefits of yoga are apparent for the young, but what about for seniors? Yoga breathing exercises called pranayama, especially those that focus on rapid breathing, have been found to help counter chemical cell secretions known as prostaglandins. Doctors believe that prostaglandins can cause the brain inflammation that causes Alzheimer's.

In Japan, a study was conducted that looked at 25 individuals over a 30 day period to see if yoga had any benefit to their well-being. In this test group, 15 of the participants were senior citizens aged 65 or older. The groups were asked to perform 90 minutes worth of yoga twice a week, after which they were to provide a sample of salivary amylase to look for a significant change.

Salivary amylase is a chemical that exists in saliva that helps break down complex sugars into simple sugars. Its levels can indicate ulcers, stress and problems with the pancreas. As you become stressed out, your levels of amylase increase dramatically. For most people, an amount of 21-101 U/L is generally considered to be a decent range of amylase. In the seniors tested, the group started with an average of 111.2±42.7, while the younger group began with a range of 60.74±31.8. The groups were tested after each yoga session to see if yoga had any effect on stress levels.

After one month, the senior group dropped in their average amylase count to 83.48±39.5, while the younger group dropped to 42.39±24. In other words, the introduction of yoga to both groups served as a catalyst for the body to produce less of the salivary chemical associated with stress and stress-related problems.

This test is not an isolated incident. Tests have been run in Germany, Utah and Washington D.C. with similar results. Some of these studies went for over 90 days, but they all showed a significant reduction in stress, an increase in the ability to sleep easier and in dealing with stress-related issues, like PTSD. In fact, some of the participants in the studies reported an overall increase in their well-being by as much as 65%.
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