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​WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF YOGA DANCE?
In many ways the benefits of Yogadance overlap closely with the benefits that we find that yoga has for the body mind and spirit.

“HEALTH IS WEALTH, PEACE OF MIND IS HAPPINESS, YOGA SHOWS THE WAY.”   
– SWAMI VISHNUDEVANANDA

Breathing (Pranayama): Yoga breathing techniques align us with our natural energy, creating physical and mental rejuvenation and promoting optimum health.

Exercise (Asanas): The asanas (yoga poses) produce a strong, healthy body.  Holding asanas whilst in meditation provides deeper and even more powerful benefits for the mind and spirit.

Relaxation (Savasana): Yoga teaches three levels of relaxation: physical, mental, and spiritual. Savasana is a vital part of keeping the body, mind, and spirit healthy.

Diet (Vegetarian): Within the philosophy of yoga it is important to eat with awareness, choosing food that has the most beneficial effect on the body and mind. It is also considered important to have  as beneficial effect upon nature and the environment. (Sorry carnivores!)

Positive Thinking and Meditation (Vedanta and Dhyana): Vedanta (positive thinking) and Dhyana (meditation), help the mind to become  calm and steady- especially helpful for those with stressful lives.

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There are many scientific studies that have found that dancing is of benefit to our physical health and psychological wellbeing as well as our social connectedness. Tal Ben Shahar (Author of 'Happier') is a strong supporter of Yogadance for happiness and invited Megha-the creator of Let your yoga dance- to sit on the faculty of his well-respected Positive Psychology course in the US.


How can Yogadance help us?

Balance
For example it has been found that it can help our sense of balance-obviously a good thing as this stops us from falling over!

Weight loss
The average person can use between 250-500 calories per hour whilst dancing depending on the style of dance.

Motivation for continued participation in exercise
One study found that many more people chose to continue a dance class than a mindfulness meditation class although both were found to provide positive health benefits.

Increasing heart rate for 20 mins or more
Dancing for a period of 20 mins or more where your heart rate increases can be good for the heart (as we all know).

Peter Lovatt has done a fun TED  talk  (click for link) on the benefits of dance for health and Parkinsons disease. He also talks about self esteem and how it relates to dance.


There is an extract from an article on the  benefits of dance for the brain from Harvard University review 
"Scientists gave little thought to the neurological effects of dance until relatively recently, when researchers began to investigate the complex mental coordination that dance requires. In a 2008 article in Scientific American magazine, a Columbia University neuroscientist posited that synchronizing music and movement—dance, essentially—constitutes a “pleasure double play.” Music stimulates the brain’s reward centers, while dance activates its sensory and motor circuits.Studies using PET imaging have identified regions of the brain that contribute to dance learning and performance. These regions include the motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. The motor cortex is involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movement. The somatosensory cortex, located in the mid region of the brain, is responsible for motor control and also plays a role in eye-hand coordination. The basal ganglia, a group of structures deep in the brain, work with other brain regions to smoothly coordinate movement, while the cerebellum integrates input from the brain and spinal cord and helps in the planning of fine and complex motor actions.
While some imaging studies have shown which regions of the brain are activated by dance, others have explored how the physical and expressive elements of dance alter brain function. For example, much of the research on the benefits of the physical activity associated with dance links with those gained from physical exercise, benefits that range from memory improvement to strengthened neuronal connections." 
​http://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/brain-newsletter/and-brain-series/dancing-and-brain

Research  in 2017 by Aga Burzynska, assistant professor of human development at Colorado State University  looked at memory loss and the effect of dance on preventing memory loss.
Researchers looked at adults ranging from their 60s to their 80s who had no signs of memory loss or impairment. Participants were assigned to one of three activities: brisk walking, stretching and balance training, or dance classes.
Three times a week, those in the dance group practiced and learned country dance choreography.
The goal, Burzynska said, was to see "how increasing aerobic exercise, increasing aerobic activities or introducing activities such as dance can help protect our brains from aging."
At the end of the study, brain scans were done on all participants and compared with scans taken before the activities began. The dancers fared better and had less deterioration in their brains than the other groups.
Burzynska says this makes sense, because unlike aerobic exercise or stretching workouts, "there was definitely a lot of memory involved and a lot of learning." The full article can be seen below on this link:
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00059/full


Some research papers that my be of interest:
Lewis, C., Annett, L. E., Davenport, S. H., Hall, A. A & Lovatt, P (2014) Mood changes following social dance sessions in people with Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Health Psychology, 1359105314529681
Hall, A. A., Lewis, C., Davenport, S. H., Annett, L. E & Lovatt, P (in prep). Investigations into two forms of dance on functional mobility, problem solving and quality of life in Parkinson’s disease.
Tal Ben Shahar Happier

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“HEALTH IS WEALTH, PEACE OF MIND IS HAPPINESS,
YOGA SHOWS THE WAY.”

– SWAMI VISHNUDEVANANDA