The International Day of Yoga is celebrated around the world annually following its adoption by the United Nations in 2014. Coinciding with the Summer Solstice (the day where there is the most sun of that year), International Yoga Day in 2025 was observed last week on Friday, 21st June. It’s an annual celebration that recognises the incredible benefits of the ancient Indian practice of yoga. Yoga is a 5,000-year-old lifestyle discipline from India; however, the yoga we generally practice in Western culture is made up of movement, mindfulness, and breath control. This year’s theme was “Women Empowerment through Yoga,” highlighting the transformative power of yoga in fostering strength, resilience, and balance in women’s lives.
Yoga can be a great remedy to keep your mind and body calm, it is the go-to practice when looking for a healthy body, mind, soul and heart. Most classes include a series of poses, performed statically or dynamically, with a strong importance on the breath. Yoga offers the powerful benefits of movement and there’s a variety of formats, meaning it’s made for anyone to do, irrespective of your age, health and fitness level.
Exercise can be used as treatment to help to prevent and manage a wide range of chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Exercise can come in varying modalities and intensities, including the practice of Yoga.
Health benefits of yoga:
· Mental endurance and physical stamina
· Stress relief
· Improved joint & muscular flexibility
· Increased endurance & strength
· Better balance
· Relieve chronic pain (particularly lower back)
Yes, that’s a nice, long list of the general health benefits of yoga but let’s look a little closer at how it can help manage and improve common chronic conditions and diseases.
Low back pain – Exercise is recommended in nearly all the guidelines for chronic low back pain. Yoga can be just as effective as other types of exercise for improving pain and function.
Mental health – Yoga teaches deep, mindful breathing, self-awareness, meditation and connecting with our bodies, all of which are helpful tools for promoting mental/emotional well-being. Exercise can make a positive difference in mood and really needs to be an essential part of mental health treatment, as even one workout a week is known to have great benefits.
Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease – A sedentary lifestyle and stress are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Since yoga is a form of exercise and is thought to benefit stress reduction it may be an effective strategy in the primary prevention of CVD.
Epilepsy – may encourage relaxation and stress reduction, and influence the electroencephalogram and the autonomic nervous system, thereby controlling seizures.
Asthma – As a holistic therapy, yoga has the potential to relieve both the physical and psychological suffering of people with asthma
Yoga has also become a widely used recovery method for athletes. A well-rounded yoga practice includes dynamic flexibility, core stabilisation, strengthening and balance work. Yoga can help an athlete by: aiding muscle recovery, preventing injuries, strengthening underused muscles and building up the trunk muscles.
To reap all the benefits of yoga as an athlete (professional or amateur), here’s 3 tips on how to get started:
1. Choose a type that addresses what you need to strengthen (dynamic flexibility, core stabilisation, strengthening, balance work, mental health).
2. Find an instructor who understands about working with athletes. If you have previous or current injuries, modifications are your friend.
3. The number of sessions per week will depend on the individual but try to find the right dosage for you, your body and your goals.
Accredited Exercise Physiologists are university qualified professionals equipped with the knowledge to design safe and effective exercise programs for people living with any number of chronic diseases. They are the best person to help you get moving again or back to yoga class, they understand the challenges and will work with you (and your doctor) to prescribe safe and effective exercise interventions.
If you want to exercise or know someone who does but aren’t sure how to get started, please book an appointment with one of our AEP’s today. They can help show you how to use exercise such as yoga, to keep your body and mind, happy and healthy on your exercise journey. Please reach out and get in touch with your local exercise expert now.
Resources and extra readings:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Yoga
https://exerciseright.com.au/why-more-men-should-try-yoga/ https://exerciseright.com.au/five-yoga-poses-for-back-pain/
https://exerciseright.com.au/yoga-and-mental-health/ https://exerciseright.com.au/yoga-to-relieve-lower-back-pain/
https://exerciseright.com.au/why-and-how-you-should-exercise-with-arthritis/ https://exerciseright.com.au/benefits-of-exercise-for-pcos/
https://exerciseright.com.au/what-is-recovery/ https://www.cochranelibrary.com/search
