Maybe you picked up yoga during the pandemic and then the habit petered out once the restrictions were lifted—or you’ve never given it a try but feel like you may be ready. Almost.

Wherever you’re at with your experience level, there’s a yoga practice out there for you. And if you’re just waiting for one more nudge to pick up that mat, no problem: Here are eight of them. Check out what research and experts say are the benefits of yoga, to get you in the flow.

1. It improves your functional fitness

This buzzy phrase has some heft behind it: Functional fitness is the type of training used to make everyday movement easier, like lifting all your grocery bags in one trip or squatting down to pick up the pen you just dropped.

Because yoga involves so many different types of poses and flows—including pushing, pulling, twisting, lunging, and reaching—it blends both stretching and strengthening for improved function, according to a small 2015 study in The Journals of Gerontology¹. Plus, you can tailor the practice even if you have mobility issues, injuries, or you just haven’t worked out in a while, according to strength and conditioning coach Reda Elmardi, CSCS, who often uses yoga-based sequences with older clients and those coming back from injuries.

“Because yoga teaches you have better control over your movements, you can gradually improve how you perform any activity,” he says.

2. It boosts your range of motion

How far each joint can flex and extend in any direction is the range of motion (ROM) for that joint, and it’s a big deal to maintain it as much as you can. Reduced ROM is linked to higher injury risk and decreased mobility.

Your ROM can be affected not just by being sedentary, but also from working out in the same way all the time, particularly strength training, says registered yoga teacher Peter Wollenheit, RYT, lead instructor and general manager at YogaSix in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

“Lifting weights is of course important, but it can create issues with a shorter of range of motion, particularly in the shoulders and hips,” he says.

According to a small 2016 study in the International Journal of Yoga², the practice can help ROM by increasing flexibility and reducing muscle tension, which boosts greater joint range and movement.

3. It increases your body awareness

One of the main aspects of yoga that makes it, well, yoga, as opposed to just stretching, is the emphasis on deepening your breath and staying present, Wollenheit says. Even in a fast-moving power yoga class, you’ll be cued to keep “dropping in” to your body and staying aware of your movement, he adds.

“Yoga simply creates more awareness in many ways,” he says. “You’re paying attention to how you’re moving, what you’re feeling, how you’re breathing, all of it. That leads to feeling more connected to your body.”

4. It reduces stress

Another effect of combining yoga-style movements with deep, focused breathing? You flip the switch for your parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for your body’s “rest and digest” state), meaning you can de-stress more easily.

A small 2020 study in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine³ looking at a single yoga session found that cortisol levels significantly decreased both immediately after the practice and was still low two hours later. Cortisol is your “fight or flight” hormone, and it surges when you feel under threat.

“Yoga simply creates more awareness in many ways. You’re paying attention to how you’re moving, what you’re feeling, how you’re breathing, all of it. That leads to feeling more connected to your body.” —Peter Wollenheit, RYT

5. It improves your dental health

Sure, this yoga benefit sounds like a wild claim. Practice warrior poses regularly and your dentist will see the difference? Yet, here’s the thing about getting your cortisol levels under control: Doing so reduces inflammation throughout your body and improves wound healing, which both have a potential effect on dental health.

For example, a small 2016 study in the Journal of the International Society of Preventive & Community Dentistry⁴ found that people who practice yoga regularly not only showed lower cortisol, but also lower incidence of periodontal (gum) disease. A 2023 research review⁵ in the same journal suggests yoga may be so effective for reducing stress and increasing antioxidant levels, it should be considered as an adjunct to conventional periodontal therapy.

6. It deepens your sleep

Another ripple effect of reduced stress is better sleep quality, and that has a ripple effect of its own because solid sleep has been linked to a range of beneficial health outcomes, including improved immune system function and better mood, according to a small 2022 study in BMC Psychiatry⁶.

That study looked at the effect of yoga on chronic insomnia and found such significant improvements for participants that researchers suggested it may be an alternative to insomnia-focused cognitive behavioral therapy.

7. It sharpens your brain

If you start a regular yoga practice and notice you seem to be more focused and have better recall, it’s not your imagination: A 2019 review in Brain Plasticity⁷ looked at 11 studies on yoga that involved brain imaging, such as an MRI, to determine changes to brain structure, function, and cerebral blood flow. It found that yoga can create considerable, positive changes in several areas of the brain related to memory, learning, organization, and emotion.

The researchers noted that these studies offer promising evidence that a practice like yoga could be helpful for mitigating age-related issues for brain health. When you loop in other perks like better sleep and lower stress, those benefits stack up for cognitive function.

8. It protects your heart

Even if you already have a cardiovascular risk factor like high blood pressure, yoga may be able to provide some protection for heart function, according to a small 2023 trial in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology⁸. Researchers recruited 60 individuals with hypertension and split them into two groups for a three-month period. All participants received 30 minutes of aerobic exercise training five times per week, with half doing yoga and the other half performing stretches.

At the study’s conclusion, those in the yoga group showed significantly greater improvement in blood pressure, glucose control, resting heart rate, and cholesterol levels than those doing stretching. Much like sleep and stress, this is due to how yoga affects the autonomic nervous system, according to lead author Paul Poirier, MD, PhD, researcher at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute and professor of pharmacy at Laval University in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

“Whenever you can consciously turn off the stress response, it creates advantages throughout the cardiovascular system,” he says. “All types of exercise do this to some degree, but yoga seems to be particularly powerful for this effect.”