Count on yoga - 30 reasons to do yoga

26. Sound System

Asana, pranayama and meditation all work to improve your health, but there's more in the yoga toolbox. Consider chanting. It tends to prolong exhalation, which shifts the balance toward the parasympathetic nervous system. Done in a group, chanting can be a powerful, physical, and emotional experience. A recent study from Sweden's Karolinska Institute suggests that humming sounds-like those made while chanting Om-open the sinuses and facilitate drainage.