Can 28 million Americans be wrong?

The essence of optimal health is a healthy mind in a health body. Yoga, which has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, is a way to achieve both, yoga aficionados and some health experts say. 

And what a great way to relax after cooking up a storm for all the kinfolks during the upcoming holidays.

Rooted in ancient India, today's yoga is broadly understood as a system of relaxation, postures and breathing. Over the centuries, different forms of yoga—some more challenging than others—have evolved to focus more on spirituality, others on mediation and mastering the conscious mind.

Not just 'physical discipline'

More than 28 million Americans practice yoga regularly, says Amy Wheeler, a fitness and yoga expert at California State University, San Bernardino.

“While westerners tend to regard yoga primarily as a physical discipline, in the East it is pursued as a mindful discipline, helping people live their lives with clarity and a positive outlook,” she adds.

According to women’s health experts at the Mayo Clinic, here are five benefits you can get from yoga - and they're all backed up by research, despite what the naysayers contend:

•  Relaxation and stress relief. Yoga's quiet precise movements focus your mind less on your busy day and more on movement as you breathe deeply and progress through a series of poses.

•  Lower blood pressure and elimination of insomnia. As you relax through yoga and ward off stress, health experts say, you may even lower your blood pressure and sleep better at night.

•  Increased flexibility and balance. As you learn and practice new poses, you'll find that each time you can reach a little farther.

•  Help with managing chronic health conditions. Although evidence isn't definitive, yoga may help manage depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders; asthma; cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol; pain; diabetes.

•  Relief of menopause symptoms and lower back pain. Research at Richard Stockton College in Pomona, N.J., among women 44 to 62 found an hour of yoga twice a week for eight weeks helped most of them improve lower-back flexibility and reduce menopausal hot flashes and night sweats.

Nubella tip: Health experts suggest if you’re interested in trying yoga, check with your doctor first. Then, find a qualified instructor who can help you adjust poses to your needs. Don’t forget to ask about the instructor’s training and experience in working with your particular needs and health concerns.

Check these out:

•  Proving that Yoga is Good for You

•  Good Trio: Menopause, Walking and Yoga

•  Ways to Age Without Aching

•  'Meditation in Motion' - The Gentle Effects of Tai Chi