Live Whole Health #268: Play ball!

When was the last time you played with a ball? (Other than a stress ball.) Doing yoga on an exercise ball will probably reduce your stress much more than that worn out stress ball!

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “There are many benefits of yoga. Studies have suggested possible benefits of yoga for several aspects of wellness, including stress management, mental/emotional health, promoting healthy eating/activity habits, sleep and balance.”

Yoga may even help with pain management, especially low back pain. A 2020 report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality evaluated 10 studies of yoga for low-back pain (involving 1,520 total participants) and found that yoga improved pain and function in both the short term (1 to 6 months) and intermediate term (6 to 12 months).

Doing yoga on a ball can be a fun practice, and it also has some added benefits. The ball increases your core strength and flexibility, improves balance and can even add a bit more of a cardio boost to your routine as you work your whole body.

Grab an exercise ball and have some fun while increasing your flexibility and balance. Join Chuna Rai-Nelson of Central Arkansas VA Health Care System in this 10-minute yoga practice using an exercise ball.

Moving your body is a great way to manage stress, improve sleep and prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Learn more about moving the body online at Whole Health.