Yoga by the Stats

Whether you’re trying to fight chronic pain or banish a bad mood, you can explore a relatively simple option: yoga. Across the United States, when people refer to yoga, they’re usually talking about a series of physical exercises you move through, often linking your breathing and movement together. 

Yoga is more than a way to get your body moving. In fact, Dr. Halina Snowball offers yoga because it can be so helpful in pain relief. We have group yoga classes here at our Integrated Pain Solutions office in Stamford, Connecticut, and we also offer private yoga instruction at home. However you want to get started, we’re here to help you explore what yoga can do for you. 

On that note, you might be curious about the evidence in favor of yoga. So let’s dig into it. 

A few stats on what yoga can do

Yogi Times recently published a robust compilation of statistics on yoga, so we’ll start there. They report that:

• 87% of people who do yoga report less back discomfort
• Two months of practicing yoga can reduce the symptoms of depression
• After 12 weeks of doing yoga once a week, people with ulcerative colitis saw fewer symptoms
• Yoga can reduce blood pressure by an average of 3.8 mmHg
• 52% of female participants in one study saw full relief from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after regularly practicing yoga

Livestrong also published a selection of stats with several worth noting:

• Three months of yoga can reduce your stress levels
• Yogis are pretty well-distributed across age groups: 19% are aged 18–29, 23% are 30–39, 20% are 40–49, 17% are 50–59, and 21% are 60 and older
• Doing yoga makes you 20% more likely to view your physical and mental health positively

All of these statistics are part of the reason that the number of people practicing yoga is growing across the country. Today, around 10% of Americans do yoga regularly. That represents an impressive 63.8% jump in popularity between 2010 and 2021. In other words, if you dive into yoga now, you won’t be alone. 

Getting started with yoga

The National Institutes of Health has a running overview of research into yoga for pain relief. To date, they cite studies saying yoga can help with:

• Fibromyalgia
• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Headaches
• Arthritis

If you’re experiencing discomfort because of any of these conditions, don’t hesitate to talk to Dr. Snowball about what yoga can do for you. To get started, call our office at 203-293-0549 or request an appointment online today.