While Yoga’s central theme remains to attain the highest goal of the spiritual path in life to “be one with the God” or to “be united with the Cosmic Self”, Yogic practice give direct and tangible benefits to everyone, regardless of their spiritual aims.

Physical and mental therapy is one of Yoga’s most important achievements, what makes it so powerful and effective is the fact that it works on the holistic principals of harmony and unification. Yoga has succeeded as an alternative form of therapy in diseases such as Asthma, Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Arthritis, Digestive Disorders and other ailments of chronic and constitutional nature where modern science has not.

Listed below are some of the areas in which Yoga have been proved very effective theses are the results of extensive research done by scientist, doctors and therapists on various people during a period of time, they have found Yoga to be effective in the elimination of diseases, and they have also recommended it as a preventive measure, if done properly under the guidance if a Guru or a trained teacher.

Health Benefits

This information is grouped into three categories—physiological benefits, psychological benefits, biochemical effects—and is based on the regular practice of traditional asana, pranayama, and meditation. Please note that while pulse rate, etc., may increase during the practice of various asanas, some forms of pranayama, and some stages of meditation, but overall benefits to general health are as listed blow.

Physiological Benefits

• Stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium, with a tendency toward    parasympathetic nervous system dominance rather than the usual stress-induced    sympathetic nervous system dominance
• Pulse rate decreases
• Respiratory rate decreases
• Blood pressure decreases (of special significance for hyporeactors)
• Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases
• EEG - alpha waves increase (theta, delta, and beta waves also increase during various    stages of meditation)
• EMG activity decreases
• Cardiovascular efficiency increases
• Respiratory efficiency increases (respiratory amplitude and smoothness increase, tidal volume increases, vital capacity increases, breath-holding time increases)
• Gastrointestinal function normalizes
• Endocrine function normalizes
• Excretory functions improve
• Musculoskeletal flexibility and joint range of motion increase
• Posture improves
• Strength and resiliency increase
• Endurance increases
• Energy level increases
• Weight normalizes
• Sleep improves
• Immunity increases
• Pain decreases

Psychological Benefits

• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase
• Mood improves and subjective well-being increases
• Self-acceptance and self-actualization increase
• Social adjustment increases
• Anxiety and depression decrease
• Hostility decreases

Psychomotor functions improve:

• Grip strength increases
• Dexterity and fine skills improve
• Eye-hand coordination improves
• Choice reaction time improves
• Steadiness improves
• Depth perception improves
• Balance improves
• Integrated functioning of body parts improves

Cognitive function improves:

• Attention improves
• Concentration improves
• Memory improves
• Learning efficiency improves
• Symbol coding improves
• Depth perception improves
• Flicker fusion frequency improves

Biochemical Effects

The biochemical profile improves, indicating an anti-stress and antioxidant effect, important in the prevention of degenerative diseases.

• Glucose decreases
• Sodium decreases
• Total cholesterol decreases
• Triglycerides decrease
• HDL cholesterol increases
• LDL cholesterol decreases
• VLDL cholesterol decreases
• Cholinesterase increases
• Catecholamines decrease
• ATPase increases
• Hematocrit increases
• Hemoglobin increases
• Lymphocyte count increases
• Total white blood cell count decreases
• Thyroxin increases
• Vitamin C increases
• Total serum protein increases

Yoga Compared to Conventional Exercise

Yoga Exercise

Parasympathetic nervous system dominates Sympathetic nervous system dominates
Subcortical regions of brain dominate Cortical regions of brain dominate
Slow dynamic and static movements Rapid forceful movements
Normalization of muscle tone Increased muscle tension
Low risk of injuring muscles and ligaments Higher risk of injuring muscles and ligaments
Low caloric consumption Moderate to high caloric consumption
Effort is minimized, relaxed Effort is maximized
Energizing (breathing kept natural or controlled) Fatiguing (breathing is taxed)
Balanced activity of opposing muscle groups Imbalanced activity of opposing muscle groups
Noncompetitive, process-oriented Competitive, goal-oriented
Internal awareness (focus is on the breath and External awareness (focus is on
the infinite) reaching the toes, reaching the finish line, etc.)
Limitless possibilities for growth in self-awareness Boredom factor