How Yoga Benefits Individuals With Chronic Pain, Stress, Autism, Insomnia, ADHD, Anxiety, and More
By Kaci Baez
In today’s overstimulated world where we are constantly encouraged to “max” ourselves out at every turn, both mentally and physically, it has never been more difficult to relax. From doomscrolling to overworking, overtraining, overstressing, and generally overvibing, the body and mind can only hold up for so long before burning out and malfunctioning. Personally, I can only take so much stress disguised as productivity before I want to run away and hide in an ashram (still does not seem like a bad idea).
Case in point: I recently experienced several weeks of horrible and constant nerve pain that I could not get rid of until I finally forced myself back into a hot yoga studio. Chronic pain is a sign of inflammation, and I was not surprised that my body was an inflamed pool of stress. I was also not shocked when the pain went away after one hot yoga class. I knew why I hadn’t been into a yoga studio sooner; I enjoy yoga, have studied yoga teacher education, and have practiced yoga for 20 years, but my recent focus has been on cardio, reformer Pilates, and strength training. I was overextended by life and not making enough time to consistently stretch and slow down deliberately for longer than five or ten minutes at a time.
Sound familiar? For those of us who get bored easily and don’t like to slow down, fully stepping into a yoga class can be much, much harder than running for two hours straight. But slowing down and practicing yoga has countless benefits, according to hundreds of studies and experts. Yoga is not an experimental, unproven therapy, but a scientifically validated ancient therapeutic practice for everyone that takes many shapes, as I wrote about in my Yoga 101 article.
The effects of chronic stress and high-intensity training on the body and mind can be severe. These effects can result in a weakened immune system, muscle tension, chest pain, digestive problems, high blood pressure, fatigue, mood problems, anxiety, insomnia, and more.
According to yoga teacher, Tiffany Cruikshank: “All suffering is similar. Whether we’re suffering from relationship trauma or low-back pain, it wears on our consciousness in a similar way.
That’s where yoga comes in. An analysis of yoga and heart health studies found that yoga reduced risk factors for heart disease, such as cholesterol and blood pressure.
Yoga Improves Chronic Pain and Improves Muscle Strength and Recovery
Chronic pain is often accompanied by stress, anxiety, and depression, which can worsen the pain. Yoga’s emphasis on relaxation and stress reduction plays a significant role in pain management. Yoga helps manage pain and health conditions by lowering stress hormones and reducing the inflammation that is at the root of every disease, including arthritis, fibromyalgia, and back pain. Pain can lead to decreased physical activity, resulting in worsening muscle stiffness and weakness. Yoga can resolve this by enhancing flexibility, improving blood flow and circulation, and strengthening muscles.
A study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine found that regular yoga reduces inflammatory markers in the body, leading to decreased pain levels. In 2017, the American College of Physicians included yoga as a recommendation for first-line treatment of chronic low-back pain. In another study, a 12-week yoga program produced improved pain and functional movement in individuals with chronic knee pain.
Yoga improves muscle strength, balance, flexibility, and recovery by using body weight for natural resistance and boosting the nervous system's ability to heal, reducing the risk of injury.
Yoga Improves Emotional Regulation, Helps Individuals with ADHD and Autism
Regularly practicing yoga can strengthen the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain that may be smaller or reduced in people with ADHD. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision-making, planning, and focus, which are more difficult for a person with ADHD to regulate.
A 2024 study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology found that practicing yoga can increase levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter linked to mood regulation and anxiety reduction. By enhancing GABAergic activity, yoga can help improve symptoms of ADHD-related anxiety and mood instability.
Yoga can also improve emotional regulation through the cultivation of a greater mind-body connection. People consider yoga an effective way to relax and improve mental health.
In an article, Ciara reflects that “A friend recommended I sign up for an eight-week mindful yoga course and I can honestly say that it has changed my life. It’s given me the most incredible tools that I carry with me throughout my day-to-day life. It has encouraged me to look at how I deal with anxiety, stress, and overwhelm in a new and positive way.” Adding: “I am now medication-free for the first time in years. My ability to deal with the feelings of panic that often would leave me house-bound has come from pranayama and yogic breathing techniques.”
The American Psychological Association recognizes yoga as an effective way to reduce depressive symptoms. Research conducted at Harvard, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, found that regular yoga practice can regulate the brain's stress response systems, leading to greater emotional regulation skills in individuals with ADHD. A 2023 study published in NeuroImage utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate changes in the brain following a yoga intervention for people with ADHD. The research showed enhanced functional integration within neural networks associated with attention and self-regulation, suggesting that yoga may facilitate neuroplastic changes that help reduce ADHD symptoms.
Yoga can also help reduce anxiety in children and teens experiencing anxiety caused by ADHD or autism, according to numerous studies.
"Yoga and heat-based interventions could potentially change the course for treatment for patients with depression by providing a non-medication–based approach with additional physical benefits as a bonus," said Maren Nyer, Ph.D., director of Yoga Studies at the Depression Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, in a study.
Yoga Promotes Improved Sleep Quality
Regular yoga practice can naturally improve melatonin levels and sleep quality. Many studies have linked yoga’s benefits to improved sleep, including recent findings by Johns Hopkins that showed better sleep among legally blind patients who participated in an eight-week yoga program.
Ready to get started? Read more about the different types of yoga and get ready to stretch it all out!
This content is for informational purposes only and should not substitute actual medical advice. Please consult your doctor for specific health and medical information.
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Additional References:
Govindasamy K, Vengadajalapathi S, Yusuff S, Venkatachalam Y, Boopalan D, Vijayakumar V, Kuppusamy M, Wankhar D. Meta-analysis of the Effect of Yogic Techniques on Melatonin Levels: Implications for Sleep Health. Int J Yoga. 2025 Sep-Dec;18(3):255-261. doi: 10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_17_25. Epub 2025 Aug 6. PMID: 41743302; PMCID: PMC12931644.
Saper, RB, Lemaster C, Delitto A, et al. Yoga, Physical Therapy, or Education for chronic low back pain: A randomized noninferiority trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2017; 167 (2): 85-94.
Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, et al. Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2017;166(7):514-530.