What Yoga Can and Can't Do for You?

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Chances are that you've heard good things about yoga. It can relax you. It can get you fit -- just look at the bodies of some celebrities who sing yoga's praises. And, more and more, yoga is purported to be able to cure numerous medical conditions.

But is yoga the panacea that so many believe it to be?

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6 Yoga Poses for Insomnia

Does your mind lace up for laps just as your body crosses the finish line and your head hits the pillow? As lonely as late-night mind racing can feel, nearly a quarter of working Americans suffer from insomnia and daytime fatigue as a consequence. Use this therapeutic sequence to soothe your nervous system and quiet your mind, priming your body to sink into a long, restful sleep.

1. Chandra Bhedana

Moon Breath

Traditionally, the left nostril is associated with the body’s cooling energy and the right with its heat. This left-nostril pranayama practice focuses the mind away from stress. Simultaneously, it massages the organs that activate the onset of sleep, signaling your vagus nerve to send messages to the brain to relax.

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Eat to Support Your Yoga

The practice of yoga is inherently individual, directly experienced within the solitary confines of the body’s internal landscape. And why you choose to practice yoga is also personal, with as many goals for yoga as there are different personalities and life histories. But while you approach the sticky mat with your own unique body type, physical geometry, injuries, quirks, and habits, what you are ultimately seeking through the practice of yoga is the universal form. By working with your own individual patterns within the universal form of the asanas, what you probably hope to discover is a place of balance.

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10 Yoga Exercises for Seniors

Start the Countdown

As a form of exercise, yoga has become all the rage, spawning yoga studios, clothing lines and for some proponents, an entire lifestyle. What's the magic behind this discipline of poses and controlled breathing? Is yoga truly a beneficial form of exercise, or is it just some swami mumbo jumbo?

Yoga can, in fact, be good for adults of all ages, especially seniors. Studies have shown that yoga can be extremely helpful when it comes to combating stress, fatigue and pain. Some yoga poses increase core strength and balance, which reduces the risk of fall-related injuries. Other poses can alleviate senior-related health issues such as menopause. Above all, yoga is a form of exercise that can help seniors feel younger.

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