How Yoga will help to Fights Disease

September is National Yoga Month. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Yoga is an effective stress reducer and may even help you lose weight, but new research shows that a certain type of chanting yoga may also be effective in warding off disease. And that is good news, indeed, for all of us wishing to live longer, healthier lives.

Yoga A-Z

In a study published in the online edition of Psychoneuroendocrinology, psychiatrist Dr. Helen Lavretsky and colleagues at UCLA looked at 45 caregivers of family members with Alzheimer’s and found a difference in genetic response in those asked to practice Kirtan Kriya Meditation (KKM), a type of yoga that focuses on rhythmic breathing and chanting, daily.

Different Types of Yoga

Study participants were divided into two groups. One cluster participated in a very 12-minute yoga follow that enclosed KKM, performed daily at a similar time of day for eight weeks. The second cluster reinvigorated in a very quiet place with their eyes closed whereas paying attention to relaxation music, additionally for twelve minutes daily for eight weeks.

Blood samples were taken from all subjects at the beginning and end of the study, and the researchers found that 68 genes responded differently in the KKM group, resulting in reduced inflammation. Both teams were “relaxing,” however, solely the KKM group’s activity (yogic respiratory and chanting) was found to discourage inflammation at the cellular level.

Caregivers were optimal subjects for this study, as caregiving for an ill family member is a significant life stressor, with older adult caregivers reporting high levels of stress andand showing higher levels of the biological markers of inflammation than the general population.

Caregiver Resource Center

The ability of yogic meditation to not only reduce stress but also inflammation in the body is great news for those of us wishing to reduce stress, improve our health, and lower our risk for chronic health conditions.

How Yoga Heals

One of the great things about yoga, is that you don’t need any special equipment to begin. “Start with basic yoga poses and build on those to ensure understanding of more advanced postures and yoga terminology for safe transition from pose to pose,” says celebrity fitness trainer Kristin McGee.

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