Yoga Makes Us Happy!

Happy Hour Yoga may not just be a cute tag-line.  Studies have shown that yoga can actually make you happier!  Some tid-bits are listed below courtesy of Self.com.

• A sequence of standing, sitting and balancing posed helped yoga raise there levels of the brain chemical GABA (low levels are linked with depression) by 27 percent compared with a group who read quietly, a study from Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital reports.
• Yoga can ease pain.  Yogis who did two 90-minute yoga classes a week for six months eased soreness by 56 percent, a study in Spine shows.  Those given treatments like pain meds and physical therapy lessened the hurt by only 16 percent.  Posing improves posture and strengthens back muscles to keep aches and pain at bay.
• Insomniacs fell asleep 15 minutes faster and slept an hour longer each night after two months of doing 45-minute series of yoga poses daily before bed.  Researchers of Brigham and Women's Hospital speculate that regular practice helped people relax, making it easier to switch off.  No trouble hitting the hay?  Doing three weekly sessions at any time of day may still help you doze more deeply, according to study authors.
• Increased self confidence.  Research from the University of California in Berkeley finds women who practiced regularly rated their body satisfaction 20 percent higher than did those who took aerobics, even though both groups were at a healthy weight.  The secret may be that yoga asks you to tune in to how your body feels and what it can do - not how it looks.
• Toning.  Smart yogis know dumbbells are the only way to sculpt.  "Yoga is strength training," says Loren Bassett, an instructor at Pure Yoga in New Yoga City and creator of Bassett's Bootcamp, a vigorous, athletic-style yoga class.  "You're using your body weight to move from posture to posture and in certain poses, you're lifting every pound of it."  For surefire firming, focus on muscle-building asanas like Crow, Cresent, Warrior III and plank.