He has since written three books about yoga and founded Yoga Guys, a section of his website Yogabear.com that lists over 300 clinical trials for yoga’s benefits for everything from arthritis to insomnia and obesity. ‘Yoga was beneficial for my depression; I wanted to tell the world about its joys. But as the son of a scientist, I didn’t want to make mad claims; I wanted evidence and found so much of it for yoga,’ Hugh remembers.
Here are some ways yoga could benefit your health, plus how to get started (stretched lycra optional):

Yoga body benefit #1

It will increase your memory. If crossword puzzles and Sudoku have been the extent of your memory training to now, it could be time to sharpen up your warrior pose. The UCLA research took brain scans and memory tests comparing the effects of 12 weeks of memory exercises and a course of yoga and meditation on 25 adults over 55. The latter not only improved their spatial and visual memories but also reduced depression and anxiety and increased resilience to stress.