Many benefits of yoga

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’ve recently seen on the internet that some very prestigious medical schools have had good things to say about doing different kinds of yoga. I was very surprised by the announcements. Would you care to comment on the subject?

ANSWER: I’m not surprised at all, as there are many potential benefits to the modern practice of yoga, which has several different styles. The benefits are both physical and mental, and some practitioners find spiritual benefits as well.

Yoga is an ancient practice, but it has been studied recently by medical science. There is strong evidence to show that regular yoga practice improves cardiovascular health, strength, flexibility and balance.

There is fair evidence that yoga may reduce stress levels and improve overall quality of life.

There is some evidence that yoga may help with some specific medical issues, including helping people quit smoking, reducing symptoms of arthritis and reducing overall pain.

Compared with many medications, risks from yoga are small. Musculoskeletal injuries are the most prevalent type of injury, and these are more common in men, possibly because most men tend not to be as flexible as women and may overdo it, especially as beginners. Any exercise has risks, and one recent study showed that about 10 per cent of participants in a suburban yoga class in a year developed pain (that’s similar to other types of exercise programs). An experienced yoga teacher can help reduce injury.

Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.