Why You Want to Add Yoga to Your List of New Year’s Resolutions

For several years now, "Practice Yoga" would have been high on Geezer’s list of new year’s resolutions, if only Geezer had not resolved, several years ago, to refrain from making any such resolutions. For those who still believe that writing things down can result in self-improvement, however, recent research has found a few more reasons to add yoga to next year’s recipe for a better you.
The Scientific American cites studies conducted in Sweden and India that demonstrate that yoga induces a feeling of
well-being in healthy people,  whoever they are, and can reverse the clinical and
biochemical changes associated with metabolic syndrome.
Sciam reports that a study conducted at the SP Medical College, Bikaner,
India, looked at the beneficial effects of yoga
and meditation in 101 adults with features of metabolic
syndrome. In the study, 55 adults practiced regular yoga including standard postures and Raja Yoga, a form
of transcendental meditation daily, while the other group received standard care. At the end of three months, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, and
triglycerides were significantly lower, and "good" HDL
cholesterol levels were higher in the yoga group as compared to
controls. In the second study, Sciam reports, researchers at the University of Karlstad, Sweden, evaluated the beneficial effects of yoga-like
breathing exercises on healthy volunteers.Fifty-five adults were advised to practice "Sudarshan
Kriya," which involves cycles of slow normal and rapid
breathing exercises. The exercises were practiced for an hour
daily, six days a week for six weeks, while 48 controls were
advised to relax in an armchair for 15 minutes daily. At the end of the study period, feelings of anxiety, stress
and depression were significantly lower and levels of optimism
significantly higher in the yoga group compared to the control
group.
Read more about what yoga can do for you in The Scientific American.