Story written by Micah Karr, Dailyflipz Health Reporter

FAIRBORN, Ohio -- John McCormick is a yoga teacher at Wright State University. He has several tips for students looking to achieve a better lifestyle through yoga, both mentally and physically.

While there are both mental and physical benefits beyond the ones listed below, here is an overview of six benefits of yoga.

•  Relaxation

“Yoga is an oasis for you,” McCormick says. He explains that meditation is an exceedingly important part of practicing yoga. “If you’re not doing meditation in yoga, you’re not doing yoga,” he explains. Students’ minds, according to McCormick, “[are] all the time,” and yoga can give rest to people who are busy all the time.

• Depression Relief

Dr. Timothy McCall, author at yogajournal.com, explains that a study done at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Richard Davidson found that areas of the brain connected to feelings of happiness, along with strengthening the immune system, were improved in those who practice yoga.

• ​Mindfulness

Vaijayanthi Sridhar writes about the practice of mindfulness on ekartyoga.com, a website based around a yogi who posts Youtube videos of her various practices. “Mindfulness is a practice where we focus on whatever task we are doing at a particular moment, giving it our undivided attention, aware of our thoughts and emotions but not reacting to or judging whatever flows through the stream of our mind,” she writes. Yoga meditations often focus on mindfulness, which can be practiced formally or informally. To read more about mindfulness and how to practice it, you can read her article here.

• Joint Strength

Both Dr. McCall in his article, and McCormick agree that yoga strengthens joints and tendons. Additionally, Dr. McCall writes that if someone does not work their joints, the cartilage between them will wear away. “Neglected areas of cartilage,” he wrote, “can eventually wear out, exposing the underlying bone like worn-out brake pads.”An example of this in action is the recent super bowl. McCormick explains that Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots, most likely uses yoga to keep his joints strong, along with his regular workout.

• Flexibility

Those who do yoga are often exceedingly flexible, which is one of the reasons McCormick started taking yoga in the first place. He took karate and noticed his friend, Carmine Anastasio, another yoga teacher at Wright State, could kick very high (“to the ceiling,” McCormick said). When McCormick asked how he got so flexible, Anastasio said he took yoga. While not every yoga practitioner might be able to kick to the ceiling, yoga does help with flexibility. “seemingly impossible poses will become possible,” Dr. McCall wrote.
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• Balance

Dr. McCall writes that yoga increases proprioception, or “the ability to feel what your body is doing and where it is in space,” which can improve balance. Often, according to Dr. McCall, older people and those with “dysfunctional movement” have poor sense of balance and yoga can help with that.

For those curious about more health benefits of yoga, watch this video by the channel “The Health Nerd.”

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"Yoga is an oasis for you."

Check out this video to see over 10 reasons why yoga is good for you:

Local yoga studios in the Dayton area:
https://www.google.com/search?q=yoga&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=39774585,-84039925,5465&tbm=lcl&ved=0ahUKEwi86-C_3PvRAhVF6oMKHfP9ATYQtgMIHg&tbs=lf_msr:-1,lf_od:-1,lf_oh:-1,lf_pqs:EAE,lf:1,lf_ui:2 

Story edited by Health & Business Editor Taylor Whitney