This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Nottingham chapter.

Rapidly growing in popularity and attracting celebrities such as Russell Brand, Adam Levine and even former Secretary of State and First Lady Hilary Clinton, yoga is quickly becoming a favourite activity in the western world. Aside from its obvious physical and mental benefits however, practising yoga also been linked to numerous health benefits that are being investigated today.

Yoga first originated in India around 5,000 years ago and the ancient form of exercise has now been embraced and adapted into a variety of forms by many other countries around the world. Its focus on strength, flexibility and breathing is designed to help enhance both physical and mental wellbeing and has been linked to a number of advantages in health. However, the biological reasons behind why and how yoga has such benefits are still ripe for investigation and recent studies may have identified some possible scientific explanations.

Previous studies have shown that taking part in regular yoga can be beneficial for people suffering from issues such as depression, high blood pressure, heart disease and back pain. A study earlier this year from the University of Oslo may have identified why this happens. The work, in the journal PLOS ONE, has linked the impact of yoga practice with the immune system. The data they collected from participants suggested that yoga causes alteration in the function of certain genes present in immune cells, giving the immune system a boost that may be responsible for the longer term health benefits seen in yogis.

A long recognised truth is that yoga is deeply valuable for getting rid of stress (very useful for students, particularly around exam time!) Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of Harvard Medical School’s teaching hospitals, are close to scientifically proving these stress-relief mechanisms, particularly focussing on meditation within yoga itself. John Denninger is the head of the group leading a five year study on how yoga can affect genes and brain activity in individuals who suffer from constant stress, looking at how genes associated with stress and immune response can be switched on and off. “There is a true biological effect,” Denninger commented. “The kinds of things that happen when you meditate do have effects throughout the body, not just in the brain”. These studies, as opposed to previous studies which tended to use questionnaires and heart and blood pressure monitoring, are able to use the latest brain imaging and genetic techniques to fully investigate the effects of yoga.

More research and testing is obviously necessary for unlocking the secrets behind the effects yoga has on both on mental and physical health on the body. The findings may even encourage doctors in the future to recommend yoga as a therapy that is actually scientifically proven to work wonders for the body.

References:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/24/yoga-immune-system-genetic-_n_3141008.html

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0061910

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/yoga.aspx

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-22/harvard-yoga-scientists-find-proof-of-meditation-benefit.html

Image sources:

RelaxingMusic via Flickr

Edited by Caroline Chan