Studies show that yoga is an ally against biological aging, but can it increase the life expectancy of its followers?
- The benefits of yoga include a reduction in high blood pressure, blood lipid levels and obesity, but also a reduction in stress, anxiety and depression.
- It could act at the cellular level by slowing down aging. One study showed a 43% increase in telomerase activity – an enzyme that delays cellular aging – in yoga practitioners.
- Yoga also protects mental health, preserving brain mass, particularly in the hippocampus, a key region for memory.
Can practicing yoga really extend our life expectancy? Daisy Taylor, a 105-year-old British centenarian, is convinced of this. In a recent interview given to the BBC, spotted by The Conversationshe confided that her exceptional physical and mental health is based on yoga, combined with her optimism and an ability to appreciate the little things in life.
A practice with multiple benefits
Daisy Taylor is not alone in her testimony. Many studies support the positive effects of yoga on health, especially as we age. Benefits include a reduction in high blood pressure, blood lipid levels and obesity, but also a reduction in stress, anxiety and depression.
Beyond scientific studies, the emblematic figures of yoga illustrate these benefits. BKS Iyengar, great master of modern yoga, lived to be 95 years old, despite very fragile health in his youth. His mentor, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, reached the age of 100, and Ashtanga pioneer Krishna Pattabhi Jois lived to be 93.
An ally against aging
Recent research suggests that yoga may work at the cellular level by slowing aging. One study showed a 43% increase in telomerase activity – an enzyme that delays cellular aging – in yoga practitioners. Additionally, some experienced adepts are able to reduce their metabolism in a manner similar to hibernating animals, a strategy linked to greater longevity.
Yoga also protects mental health, preserving brain mass, particularly in the hippocampus, a key region for memory. The brains of 40-50 year old yogis often show a structure equivalent to those of people 20 years younger. Meditation, an essential component of yoga, contributes to this protective effect.
That said, despite the abundant evidence of its benefits, there is no direct evidence that yoga increases life expectancy. A study in the United States found lower mortality among yoga practitioners, but this effect disappeared once the age of the participants was taken into account.