We’re always interested in finding natural ways to slow down the aging process. Who knew that poses called down dog and tree (among others) can make you look younger? Yoga’s been around for thousands of years, and for good reason: practicing yoga offers multiple anti-aging and health benefits. Here’s a list of six ways yoga can reduce signs of aging, according to ayurvedictalk.com.

Minimizes wrinkles: Yoga has the ability to reduce stress, which is a major cause of aging. Plus, it helps enhance and maintain the glow of skin by reducing free-radical damage that reduces skins elasticity.

Brain health: Yoga inhibits the release of stress hormone cortisol, which has been linked to age-related memory problems in large amounts. Regular yoga could help keep your memory sharp.

Cures insomnia: The amount of sleep we get decreases as we get older. This is because levels of melatonin, our natural nighttime sedative, decrease with age. Yoga maintains decent levels of melatonin, allowing for a good night’s sleep.

Increase tone: Although healthy eating and exercise help with weight, getting rid of flabby skin tone takes more work as we age. Yoga helps in gently stretching the skin’s underlying connective tissue, making it more flexible, which results in more toned looking skin.

Easing pain: Doing yoga at least once a week helps in relieving back pain, especially in the lower back. Since we get stiffer as we age, maintaining flexibility helps you keep healthy activity levels.

Immunity booster: Another wonderful benefit of a regular yoga practice is that it helps detoxify on a daily basis, while boosting immunity levels. It improves fresh blood circulation to the organs, allowing them to work at their optimal levels. Some even say that, because of this, yoga can help improve hearing and eyesight.

With the glut of yoga studios found in any city, you’ll be hard-pressed not to find a yoga class that works for your schedule. Now get into those yoga pants and breathe!