As part of Yoga Day USA – taking place Saturday, January 23 – Yoga Alliance conducted a survey to determine those factors that may prevent people from reaping the rewards of this thousands-year-old practice. The 2010 Yoga Insight Survey sought to identify the country’s general level of understanding of the myriad health and wellness benefits the practice yields.

“Yoga Day USA is an opportunity to help educate people – from the most experienced yogis to those trying it for the very first time – about the power of yoga,” said Dr. Terri Kennedy, a member of the Yoga Alliance board of directors.

Everyone has “the blues” from time to time. But for some people, this unhappy, gloomy state becomes a way of life. Typically, those suffering from depression have turned to prescription medication to help them through the rough patches. Unfortunately, anti-depressants often carry the risk of serious side effects. However, there is an incredibly safe and natural alternative that can help you cope. When you learn about yoga breathing and exercises, you can begin to lift the dark cloud that shadows your sense of joy.

Regular yoga practice is associated with mindful eating, and people who eat mindfully are less likely to be obese, according to a study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The study was prompted by initial findings reported four years ago by Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., and colleagues, who found that regular yoga practice may help prevent middle-age spread in normal-weight people and may promote weight loss in those who are overweight. At the time, the researchers suspected that the weight-loss effect had more to do with increased body awareness, specifically a sensitivity to hunger and satiety than the physical activity of yoga practice itself.