Australian research highlights benefits of yoga

With yoga ranking as one of Australia's most popular forms of physical activity, a new nationwide academic study has highlighted its benefits.

The national survey of 3,892 yoga practitioners by Stephen Penman and Marc Cohen from the School of Health Sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne, working with Philip Stevens from the Swan Research Institute and Sue Jackson of the School of Human Movement Studies at the University of Queensland, is one of the first pieces of the research to offer a detailed outline of the many benefits of yoga to human health.

Published in the International Journal of Yoga, the survey shows that yoga practice was seen to assist in the management of specific issues and medical conditions and that regular yoga practice may also link with healthy lifestyle activities including vegetarianism, non-smoking, reduced alcohol consumption, increased exercise and reduced stress with resulting cost benefits to the community.

With 85% of respondents being female, the typical yoga survey respondent was a 41-year-old, tertiary educated, employed, health-conscious woman.

Asana (postures) and vinyasa (sequences of postures) represented 61% of the time spent practicing, with the other 39% devoted to the gentler practices of relaxation, pranayama (breathing techniques), meditation and instruction.

The study also found that respondents commonly started practicing yoga for health and fitness but often continued practicing for stress management. One in five respondents practiced yoga for a specific health or medical reason which was seen to be improved through the activity.

More people also used yoga for stress management and anxiety than back, neck or shoulder problems, suggesting that mental health may be the primary health-related motivation for practicing yoga.

Healthy lifestyle choices were seen to be more prevalent in respondents with more years of practice. Yoga-related injuries occurring under supervision in the previous 12 months were low at 2.4% of respondents.

According to the Australian Sports Commission, yoga is now the 14th most popular physical activity in Australia, ahead of AFL and dance.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data released at the end of 2011 showed 273,000 Australian women engaging in some form of yoga, with men's participation - in the tens of thousands - on the rise.

To read the full report on the benefits of yoga and to find out more about the research, go to the International Journal of Yoga website at www.ijoy.org.in

16th June 2019 - YOGA ON THE RISE 

20th June 2008 - YOGA MATS AND ECOLOGY

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