Yoga Research Surges Over Last Decade

Interest in yoga has grown fast and furiously, and so has research into the benefits of yoga, providing a doorway towards acceptance of yoga as a tool for healthier living.

If you’re following new research developments on yoga, you may have noticed that almost every week brings one or more reports on new studies on the health effects of yoga. But just how many, and how does the current number of research studies coming out compare to the past?

This was the question posed by Dr. Troy Cellmer, Chief Editor of Active Life DC. He set out to chart the number of research studies, starting all the way back to the 1950s, when yoga was still a relatively unknown practice and very few studies were done on the effects of yoga. Even in the 60s, with increased interest in the practice, few studies were done. But starting at the turn of the 21st century, the number of scientific papers on yoga has soared. In 2012 alone, there were 41 more papers published than in all the 1990s together.

The numbers are continuing to climb. If 2013 continues to look into yoga at the same rate this one year will break all records with the number of yoga-related studies reaching upwards of 380! The studies document the physical and psychological benefits of practicing yoga using protocols that typically focus on performing asanas.

This burgeoning of interest in yoga can only bode well for yoga being recognized more and more as a vehicle for better health. The studies are encouraging for yoga practitioners and teachers seeking to achieve specific benefits, from working to improve diabetes, to addressing insomnia, relieving back pain, or ‘simply,’ improve general health and well-being.

Studies that reveal hard evidence with rigorous documentation can open doors and lead to greater acceptance of yoga by the medical field. With more and more research, many doctors may increasingly begin to integrate yoga as a cost-effective, non-invasive complementary treatment for many health conditions.