YOUR 6-WEEK YOGA GUIDE TO BUILD STRENGTH YOGAJOURNAL.COM 15STRONG BONES
Because yoga is a weight-bearing exercise, it can help prevent bone loss around mid-
life and maybe even build new bone in cases of osteoporosis. A 2001 study published
in the journal Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation found that, whereas a broad group of
participants typically lost or simply maintained bone, roughly 85 percent of those
identifying as yoga practitioners actually gained bone in the spine and in the hips.WEIGHT-LOSS
PROMOTION
According to McCall, yoga lowers
cortisol levels. If that doesn’t
sound like much, consider that
stressed-out Americans are
flooded with cortisol 24-7—taxing
our adrenal glands and contribut-
ing to the obesity epidemic. Turns
out, it’s not the most vigorous
forms of yoga that lead to weight
loss, either. A 2006 study out of
Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Re search Center found that
those practicing a moderate form
of yoga once a week for four
years lost an average of 5 pounds
compared to those who didn’t —
and who packed on 13.5 pounds!BETTER
BRAINPOWER
A 2013 study out of the Univer-
sity of Illinois recruited 30 female
undergrads and had them either
exercise at 60 to 70 percent of
their maximum heart rate for 20
minutes or —at a different time—
perform 20 minutes of yoga.
They found that the women per-
formed significantly better on
mental tests after the yoga ses-
sions as compared to the exer-
cise sessions.MODEL: TIFFANY CRUIKSHANK; SHORTS: BROOKS; BRA TOP: ONZIE; SHOES: C