Yoga may be thousands of years old, but this ancient Indian discipline has proved to stand the test of time.

It's a multi-billion-dollar industry that has millions of Americans doing sun salutations and downward dog, all while breathing deeply and chanting, ohhmmm.

While yoga's popularity only seems to grow, people seem to be drawn to it not just for physical benefits, but also for how it impacts their mental health.

We live in a very stressful world and although yoga is not a miracle cure, the practice can help minimize stress and the worries that come with modern life, said Joseph Satiak, who has been running Belmont Yoga Studio since 2001. At the end of a yoga practice, we have guided meditation and relaxation that helps you work on the body but also helps the mind disengage.

Satiak came to yoga after an injury left doctors skeptical about any sort of recovery.

After the first class, I was convinced yoga was the thing for me, said Satiak, who eventually left a career in a fast-paced corporate environment to teach yoga.

Yoga is mindfulness-based, said Donna Ognibene, owner of Bodytrio, a Belmont studio offering classes in yoga, Pilates and barre. It's meant to connect the mind to the body.

This time of the year, people are looking to lose weight and feel differently about themselves, Ognibene said. Lots of exercise disconnects people, leaving them tired. But yoga is different because you have something that is sustainable.

Jo Shapiro, a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, practices yoga and associates it with being able to perform her job well.

I feel that if you're going to be a wonderful clinician, you have to be your best self, said Shapiro. Meditation and mind-body stuff are really important in terms of handling that stress.

Read the rest here:
Yoga breathes new life into practitioners