Charlene Gast, a researcher at the University of Boulder, demonstrates that the physical and psychological benefits of yoga last longer with consistent practice.
While even a single yoga class can provide short-term benefits to participants, those looking for lasting benefits for more than a week should aim for a regular and consistent yoga practice.
These are the results of a newly published study on how yoga benefits the mind and body, which previous research has proven to include improved mobility, reduced risk of chronic disease, and reduced stress. is.
Charlene Gast, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder Behavioral Sciences Institute who earned her PhD in social psychology and neuroscience in August, explores how yoga benefits those who practice it. He led the research with the aim of
Charlene Gast, a researcher at the University of Boulder, studies how yoga benefits the mind and body.
Her study compared a typical yoga class (one that offers postures, breathing exercises, mindfulness, and meditation) to a posture-only class (one that offers guided stretching). By comparing the two classes, Gast says she can examine how factors other than physical and psychological health change in response to yoga. These factors may also explain yoga’s health-promoting effects.
“This is what we mean by ‘potential self-regulatory and neurophysiological mechanisms.’ Elements related to self-regulation. [or the ability to manage thoughts, emotions and behavior in a given situation] and neurophysiology [nervous system functioning] “It helps us understand how yoga works to promote health,” says Dr. Gast, who investigated factors such as:
limited differences
In general, Gast found that the factors studied improved after yoga classes, but the improvements only lasted for about a week. The changes in these factors were not significantly different between those taking a yoga class and those taking a pose-only class, which Gast says was an unexpected result.
“This was a surprise because the four main elements of yoga – ethics, breath control, poses and meditation – influenced our decision about which elements to evaluate,” she says. . “For example, the element we chose for meditation was mindfulness because past research has shown that meditation cultivates mindfulness. We expected that there would be small changes in mindfulness for students in that class, but our findings did not support that. , showed improvements in mindfulness similar to yoga.”
She notes that the two classes produced comparable changes in most of the factors she and her colleagues studied, which suggests that there may be additional factors underlying yoga’s health-promoting effects that researchers were unable to account for. It added that this suggests there may be a “mechanism of action.”
“Further research is needed in this area to determine what these factors and mechanisms are,” she says. “The main implication of our findings is that while people may notice small benefits after just one yoga class, the improvements participants reported after participating in yoga are not maintained over a day. This means that regular, continued practice is required to see more permanent changes after a week. ”
Experience useful for research
Gust speaks from experience. She first became interested in yoga over 10 years ago, and now she practices 3 to 5 times a week.
That’s the beauty of yoga. It’s not a social comparison at all. It’s about showing up, being present, doing your best, and letting go of expectations. ”
“For me personally, yoga is particularly helpful in maintaining an overall sense of well-being,” she says. “The time you set aside for your practice is often the only time you can truly disconnect from the distractions and stress that make you feel overwhelmed and anxious. Yoga teaches you compassion for yourself and others. It also helped me grow.”
Her advice for yoga beginners?
“It’s normal to feel out of place. Even as a former gymnast for over 13 years, I felt very self-conscious during my first few yoga classes. I couldn’t help but compare myself to others who I thought could be better. But that’s the beauty of yoga. It’s not about social comparison at all. It’s about showing up, being, and doing your best. It’s about doing your best and letting go of expectations.”
Gast said she believes the biggest misconception about yoga has to do with accessibility.
“Many people believe that they have to go to a yoga studio to do yoga, but that’s simply not the case. Gyms, fitness centers, and even businesses are recognizing the value of yoga and offering classes. . I have no problem doing yoga in my own living room. That’s my job.”
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