How Yoga Fights Disease

September is National Yoga Month. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Yoga is an effective stress reducer and may even help you lose weight, but new research shows that a certain type of chanting yoga may also be effective in warding off disease. And that is good news, indeed, for all of us wishing to live longer, healthier lives.

Yoga

In a study published in the online edition of Psychoneuroendocrinology, psychiatrist Dr. Helen Lavretsky and colleagues at UCLA looked at 45 caregivers of family members with Alzheimer’s and found a difference in genetic response in those asked to practice Kirtan Kriya Meditation(KKM), a type of yoga that focuses on rhythmic breathing and chanting, daily.

Different Types of Yoga

Study participants were divided into two groups. One group participated in a 12-minute yoga practice that included KKM, performed daily at the same time of day for eight weeks. The second group rested in a quiet place with their eyes closed while listening to relaxation music, also for 12 minutes daily for eight weeks.

Blood samples were taken from all subjects at the beginning and end of the study, and the researchers found that 68 genes responded differently in the KKM group, resulting in reduced inflammation. Both groups were “relaxing,” however, only the KKM group’s activity (yogic breathing and chanting) was found to deter inflammation at the cellular level.

Caregivers were optimal subjects for this study, as caregiving for an ill family member is a significant life stressor, with older adult caregivers reporting high levels of stress andand showing higher levels of the biological markers of inflammation than the general population.Read More...