Do yoga, live longer

Yoga offers a number of well-documented benefits, which collectively add up to not just a healthier life, but also a longer one. Yoga, prayer, and meditation are associated with less stress, better sleep quality, improved digestive health, and stronger immune systems, all of which can help ward off disease and keep you healthy and active well into your later years.

Healthier heart

Yoga is well known for its ability to reduce stress, which is associated with a risk of chronic heart disease. Yoga can also lower high blood pressure and pulse rates, other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. A 2004 study from Yale University found that people who practiced yoga three times a week had measurably healthier blood vessels after just six weeks. Those who were already diagnosed with heart disease experienced a 70 percent improvement in blood vessel function. With heart disease accounting for 22% of deaths in Canada, lowering your risk isn't just prudent, it's critical.

Weight management

Whether it's the calories burned in a demanding Bikram class or simply the growing impetus to live a healthier lifestyle, yoga often helps people lose weight. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can extend your life by reducing your risk of weight-related complications such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and high cholesterol. Being overweight can shave two to four years off the average lifespan, and severe obesity can shorten your life by up to a decade, according to a University of Oxford analysis of 57 studies that included nearly 900,000 people. Researchers found that every additional 5 points of body mass index (BMI) increased mortality risk by 30 percent. To increase your chances of living longer, keep your BMI in a healthy range of 18.5 to 24.9.

Stronger immune system

Yoga can help protect against disease by favorably affecting the four physiological systems that are linked to the immune system: the circulatory, digestive, endocrine, and nervous systems. Poses that stimulate even one of these systems can boost immune function. When the immune system is strong, the body is better able to respond to everyday stressors and defend itself against viruses, common colds, bacteria, and even cancer cells.

Increased social network

One surprising way that yoga might add years to your life is by increasing your social network. Joining a yoga studio or a gym gives you the opportunity to expand your circle of like-minded, health-conscious friends. People who are part of a community tend to be happier and more fulfilled, according to National Geographic explorer Dan Buettner, who has studied the habits of some of the world's longest lived people. People who live in Blue Zones — geographical regions where people live significantly longer lives and experience a fraction of the rate of degenerative diseases as the rest of the world — tend to belong to what Buettner calls the "right tribe." These social networks support healthy behaviors and cultivate feelings of happiness and belonging. In fact, assessing your social circle and mindfully expanding it to include health-oriented, supportive individuals could be the most powerful thing you can do to extend your lifespan.