Doing Iyengar yoga for incontinence has been scientifically proven to significantly reduce bladder control issues in women.
For another, those symptoms are no joke: Incontinence can contribute to serious health issues if left untreated.
In fact, its not normal.
It is common, but its not normal.
And its a problem.
Incontinence can contribute tofall and fracture riskand can cause people to become lessphysicallyandsociallyactive.
board-certified gynecologist at Stanford and urinary incontinence researcher
That can lead to myriad health problems from depression to cardiovascular issues and beyond.
We havent actually worked it into our social and medical systems to take care of urinary problems and incontinence.
For all of those reasons, Dr. Subak has been studying behavioral interventions to improve bladder control.
But recently, Dr. Subak learned something else was helping people: Iyengar yoga.
Iyengar is a more restorative form of yoga.
She asked Howard How do you know, it works, you havent actually tested it?
Women in both groups experienced about one third the amount of urgency and incontinence that they did before.
It turned out that both of the interventions met that criteria.
So they both had a very good reduction in incontinence.
board-certified gynecologist at Stanford and urinary incontinence researcher
The strength and flexibility regimen included moves likebicep curls.
We were just kind of intrigued about why this might work, Dr. Subak says.
We didnt specifically say we want moves that focus on the pelvic floor or the core.
We went with what she had been doing.
Another factor includes just being more physically active.
No matter what, being physically active is great for your health, Dr. Subak says.
If it happens to improve your incontinence, thats fantastic.
The women in the study did 16 poses three times a week.
These are 10 of our favorites.
Dont forget to breathe!
Parsvakonasana: Side angle pose
Want to open up your lower body and upper body at once?
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Where your knees start is not where theyll end up.
Tadasana: Mountain pose
Mountain poseis so much more than just standing up straight.
Trikonasana: Triangle pose
Triangle pose is all about tuning into your form.
Are your hips facing to the side, or are you twisting?
Is the side of your body closest to your leg scrunched up or elongated?
Utkatasana: Chair pose
The yoga class burner is a classic for a reason.
Inchair pose,double-check to tuck your pelvis so that youre not over arching in your lower back.
This will also turn on your hamstrings for an even more intense leg workout.
Who couldnt use a moment to lie down?
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