Singing is as good for health as yoga
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Swedish scientists who are studying the diseases of the human respiratory system reported that some types of singing can be useful for human health. Employees of the University of Gothenburg, who is in southwestern Sweden, are sure that the types of singing associated with breath control can have the same effect as yoga or complex breathing exercises.
Last week, the British press informed the people of the United Kingdom that people suffering from respiratory diseases should not neglect singing lessons.
For several months, experts from Sweden conducted studies aimed at studying the relationship between singing, yoga, gymnastics and the state of human health. In several experiments, choristers from Sweden voluntarily participated. Physicians managed to establish that the heartbeat of people during choral singing is synchronized, and also, singing can have a calming effect. The head of the research focuses on known facts about singing. According to him, singing is not only sounds produced by man, but also one of the main possible forms of controlling breathing. At the beginning of the musical phrase (usually, the first line of the musical work), the singing man picks up the air, and at the end of the phrase - releases it. Such actions relax the body and lead to stabilization of the cardiovascular system, which allowed scientists to compare singing with ancient respiratory gymnastics and yoga.
Yoga is not only popular sport activity today, yoga is the oldest teaching about physical and spiritual harmony, based on physical exercises, meditations, concentration of attention and, of course, respiratory practices. Special breathing exercises, which are used in yoga, can affect both the physical state of a person and the spiritual state. In the process of performing breathing exercises, the following occurs: - the concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body changes significantly. - virtually all muscles of the respiratory system are activated. - effect on the nervous system and on the receptors of smell.
Of course, it can not be said that singing can have exactly the same effect as yoga. In any case, yoga includes more practice: physical, respiratory, spiritual. Despite this, experts from Sweden insist on the existence of a similarity between the effect of respiratory practices and choral singing. In addition, scientists assure that in the process of singing in the human body endorphins are produced - hormones of joy, which also have a positive effect on the general state of health.
Earlier, Australian scientists reported that singing can remove irritability, anxiety and mild depressive condition in the elderly. Some psychologists advised unnecessarily nervous people to sing and thus improve their health. British colleagues noticed that the life expectancy of people who sing in the church choir is significantly higher than those of people who do not sing at leisure.
