Benefit 1: Yoga increases flexibility and stability.

According to the NIH, balance decreases overtime, but practicing yoga consistently can help you stay on your feet. “Being able to do a split and bind your arms behind your back might be the goal for some, but for others, functional movements like putting on socks in the morning without sitting down can make meaningful changes in your daily life,” Glor says. “This leads to keeping your body healthier as you age with less falls and injuries.”

Benefit 2: Yoga strengthens your muscles and bones.

After the age of 30, we start to loose muscle mass, which can result in reduced mobility. “Practicing yoga can lead to stronger muscles,” Glor says. “When we do many Chaturangas (push-ups and planks) and Warriors with arms and quads shaking, we know we are building strength.” And research backs it. A study published in Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation had around 200 women practice 12 yoga poses including Vrikasana (Tree Pose) and Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II) for 12 minutes a day over the course of two years and found that yoga may increase bone density.

Benefit 3: Yoga improves posture.

“Posture is a great benefit of yoga in a world where many of us are bent over a desk writing, keyboard typing, and bending our necks down to look at an iPhone,” Glor says. Maintaining good posture can help reduce neck pain, increase energy levels, and improve digestion—and yoga can help you straighten out your spine. “Postures like Downward Facing Dog, Dolphin, Wheel, and Forearm Stand can strengthen overstretched muscles in the neck and shoulders to improve posture and elongate the spine,” Glor explains.

Benefit 4: Yoga helps reduce chronic pain.

An estimated 50 million people suffer from chronic pain, the CDC says, but yoga has been found to provide relief. Not only does yoga improve flexibility and range of motion, but it also reduces inflammation, which may contribute to pain. A review published in Pain Research and Management found that a wide range of yoga poses reduces chronic back pain, even if only practiced for a short amount of time. Another study in Medicine showed that yoga might reduce neck pain and improve pain-related function related to disability.

Benefit 5: Yoga might help you lose weight.

Research shows that a consistent yoga practice paired with an Ayurvedic diet—the ancient Indian holistic nutrition approach based on your body type—can result in weight loss. A small study published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine had overweight or obese adults follow an Ayurvedic diet paired with yoga therapy, and after nine months, participants lost an average of nine pounds.

Benefit 6: Yoga reduces stress and anxiety.

There’s a reason ending your class with Savasana (Corpse Pose) helps you feel more calm—yoga combines many stress-reducing techniques, like mindfulness, exercise, and breathing to help you feel more zen. And research backs it up. A study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice showed that women who practiced prenatal Hatha yoga had reduced levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), increased resilience and pain tolerance, reduced anxiety, and improved mood. Certain yoga poses like Balasana (Child’s Pose) and Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose) help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, AKA our rest-and-digest response, to help us find calm.

Benefit 7: Yoga improves sleep.

“In our fast-paced world, slowing down the breath with deep inhales and exhales while you link breath with movement can help you let go of anxiety, worry, and distractions,” Glor says. Racing thoughts are a huge culprit to keeping people up at night, but fortunately yoga can help you find calm before a night’s rest. A review published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine found that yoga poses involving stretching and relaxing of the muscles, such as Restorative or Yin Yoga, causes physical and mental exertion that results in less sleep latency, more deep sleep, and fewer sleep disturbances.

Benefit 8: Yoga reduces cognitive decline

Keeping your mind sharp is vital to healthy aging, and while cognitive decline impacts many with age, yoga can help keep your mind strong. A study published by researchers at UCLA had 25 participants with memory problems practice either yoga or cognitive training for 12 weeks. Results showed that both groups showed improved memory and connections in the brain’s neuron networks.