One of the questions I hear occasionally is, “Does Bikram Yoga help strengthen the muscles?” I’ve always answered yes based on my own personal experience but now, according to the University of California Wellness Letter, there is a clinical study that backs me up.

Stretching regularly may make your muscles stronger, suggests a study in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. Performing regular hamstring stretches (that’s the muscle at the back of the thigh), not only improved flexibility and increased range of motion in 30 young people, it also strengthened their leg muscles. And stronger leg muscles, in turn, can help prevent knee injuries, the researchers say. Stretching also relieves muscle tension and stiffness and often helps recovery from injuries—though it does not prevent injuries, previous studies say.

I’d argue against that last point, at least from a yoga perspective. While the simple act of stretching alone may not prevent injuries, the resulting increased strength may — as they pointed out — and, more importantly, the increased awareness of your body’s capabilities and limitations that comes from a regular practice of conscious stretching, may offer the best injury prevention.