Midway through my first 200 hours of yoga teacher training, I can’t stop thinking or talking about the benefits of practice. Of particular interest to me is how yoga can adapt to the various needs of our different bodies. A scientific study offers a different kind of proof than an enthusiastic yogini’s testimonial, though, and more footnotes than B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga. So I was excited to see a release for a study showing that adapted yoga for stroke rehabilitation may improve patient recovery from common physical impairments.
From the release:
…after an eight-week program, study participants demonstrated improved balance and flexibility, a stronger and faster gait, and increased strength and endurance.
The study, involving researchers from the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and IU Bloomington, exposed older veterans recovering from stroke to yoga. The men and women had completed their post-stroke occupational and physical therapy before the study but continued to have impairments.
Previously: Can yoga help women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis? and Can yoga help women suffering from fibromyalgia?
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