Yoga has been around for centuries, but only recently have scientists begun to recognize its many health benefits, like helping you keep fit and flexible, and lowering blood pressure.

Now research is finding that it may also help prevent middle-age spread, but not necessarily in the way you think. In a study, a group of healthy middle-aged adults filled out questionnaires asking how often they had reactions such as:

"I taste every bite of food I eat."

Or:

"When a portion is too large, I stop eating when I'm full."

These are indicators of mindful eating—which means thinking before you pick up the fork, being aware of what you're eating, and stopping when you've had enough.

Participants who were more mindful tended to weigh less. They were also more likely to practice yoga.

The authors say it's not the calories burned during yoga that explains the lower weights. It's that by making you more aware of your body, yoga teaches mindfulness—a skill that people apply to eating.

So, twisting your body into a pretzel a few times a week—just might make you think twice before eating too many of them later.