Just a few years ago, it was odd to hear someone mention their involvement with yoga. Perceived as an activity for “hippies,” yoga remained a mostly mysterious pastime until modern-day science caught up. I, unfortunately, was among the many who didn’t realize what yoga could do. Over the years, however, I’ve changed my mind.

Along the way, I’ve discovered that there are over 100 different types of yoga to choose from, although I’ve only be able to try about a dozen or so thus far. Each one provides unique benefits to the mind and body, and I’ve obviously found my favorites. As someone who tries to stay away from pharmaceuticals, yoga is always right on the money.

There was a time when I thought yoga was just a bunch of glorified stretching, but it’s so much more. Yoga, if it’s done right, can improve the quality of your life in numerous ways. I treat patients in my office every day who suffer from painful or debilitating musculoskeletal disorders that could have otherwise been prevented. Many times, the best prevention method would have been gentle, low-impact, therapeutic yoga.

First of All, What Is Yoga?

Officially categorized as a specific set of physical, mental and spiritual exercises, yoga is an ancient discipline that is thought to have originated in India. Recognized as one of the six major philosophical traditions in Hindu culture, yoga has permeated Western culture in the last few decades. With roots from Buddhism and Jainism as well, the variety of yogic schools has reached epic proportions.

We now see yoga classes offered all over the place, with experienced instructors teaching a myriad of relaxing, body-positive “asanas,” or postures. Yoga, once perceived as extremely difficult, is now understood to be a relatively easy practice that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I, for once, swear by it and I’ll tell you why.

The Top Benefits of Yoga (From a Skeptical Chiropractor’s Perspective)

Most of us have heard about the many benefits of yoga, either from a news broadcast or through a friend. That’s how I first heard about it. But realistically, what are the benefits? According to experts, yoga is designed to boost awareness, improve physical strength and promote harmony within the mind and body.

For me and many of my patients, the most noticeable benefit of yoga is always an improvement to physical health. Not only do the extremely relaxing techniques decrease stress and anxiety but their incorporation into yogic practices can relieve chronic pain as well. For those of us suffering from repetitive headaches, arthritis, and lower back pain, yoga is a safe and effective alternative to over-the-counter and/or prescription medication.

According to the most recent studies, yoga can also be used to lower a person’s blood pressure and balance circadian rhythms. From a purely chiropractic standpoint, however, I’m most impressed by yoga’s proven ability to:

• Boost flexibility
• Improve strength
• Enhance muscle tone
• Promote a balanced metabolic rate
• Keep weight at healthy levels
• Increase vitality through:
  • Optimized energy usage
  • Improved respiration
  • Durability against injury
• Advance athleticism
• Support cardiovascular and circulatory resilience

More than that though, it turns out that yoga is also an effective treatment for many musculoskeletal disorders. I end up recommending yoga to more than half of my patients simply because it works in tandem with regular chiropractic adjustment and massage. Yoga prolongs the positive side effects of my procedures and helps patients feel better longer.

Did you know that our mental health plays a huge role in how our bodies feel from day to day? In fact, it’s been proven that excessive stress can lead to things like fatigue, body aches, and sickness. Fortunately, yoga is also great for our mentality. It promotes calmness, sharpens concentration, improves mental clarity, and helps to center our attention on more positive things.

Luckily, Yoga Is Perfect for Beginners

I’ll admit that I was a little intimidated by yoga when I first heard about. Studying the various asanas and disciplines was overwhelming to say the least, plus I figured anything that had so many physical and mental benefits would be difficult. I was dead wrong.

Yoga, depending on the type of course, is relatively easy even for someone who has absolutely no experience with it whatsoever (like me at first). It’s important to know the 11 major styles of yoga and then choose your favorite discipline from there. The primary styles are as follows:

• Hatha
• Iyengar
• Kundalini
• Ashtanga
• Vinyasa
• Bikram
• Yin
• Restorative
• Prenatal
• Anusara
• Jivamukti

For beginners especially, and also for those of us who want to improve or protect our musculoskeletal health, yoga is a healthy alternative to pharmaceuticals, invasive medical procedures and surgeries. I personally recommend the following disciplines if you:

• Are new to yoga

• Have muscle, bone or joint pain

• Need a natural remedy

I encourage all my patients to explore the many types of yoga freely in order to find one that works best for their unique physique. However, when I’m asked for suggestions, I typically mention these three:

• Hatha

I like Hatha yoga because it’s slow paced and relaxing.

• Restorative

I prefer Restorative yoga for three reasons: It strengthens the core muscles, it super laid-back, and it’s ideal for beginners.

• Anusara

Anusara yoga rocks because it focuses on the mind-body connect more than any other disciple.

In Conclusion

Like the work I do in my chiropractic office, yoga helps to heal many health problems. However, it’s not a miracle treatment for every disease or disorder on the planet. Realistically speaking, yoga should be viewed as complementary practice that can enhance our other healthy lifestyle choices.

Still, three rather interesting things I learned about yoga along the way are:

• Regular chiropractic care makes achieving difficult yoga poses easier.
• Yoga and chiropractic work in tandem to improve mobility and range of motion.
• Our core muscles that support the spine become strengthened quickly through yoga.

So, although I was leery and skeptical at first, I now swear by yoga as a chiropractor and as a person in general.