Sharing her personal experience with Yoga and it’s trailblazing effects on brain health, renowned Yoga instructor Ira Trivedi reveals how this exercise can turn you into a better and smarter version of yourself.
“I was a national-level squash player and actively participated in marathons. I’ve grown up playing sports and engaged in a lot of strenuous activities.”
“But what I learned as someone with three decade long experience in athletic sports and yoga, is that yoga is the most sophisticated form of exercise.”
It appears almost as if the ancient yogis and our forefathers gave us a solution to today’s problems in the form of this exercise.
This ancient exercise has earned wider attention and acceptance in the modern times as it strikes a chord with every human being on this planet.
“I don’t think there is any other form of exercise that is meant for everyone and covers all the aspects, as better as yoga.”
Now, why is yoga so amazing? Why is it such a great exercise?
First and foremost, yoga is not just limited to physical health but has a far greater role to play in supporting proper functioning of the nervous system.
As is evident, the brain is the master control room of the nervous system, which controls and governs everything going on in our body.
It must be noted that spine is a part of the brain and yoga lays special emphasis on improving the functioning of spine in order to improve the functioning of the nervous system.
So, when we’re doing yoga, we’re also making an effort to amplify brain health.
Further, the scientific studies conducted in this field suggest claim yoga to be an essential tool for improving brain functions such as cognitive ability, memory, and attention/concentration.
A review of 11 studies on yoga’s effects on brain health was conducted by Goethe and colleagues in 2019. Harvard Medical School experts published a report titled ‘An Introduction to Yoga’, which highlights the role of Yoga in enhancing immunity by reducing stress and raising the levels of neurochemicals known to promote general well being and activate areas of the brain that increase joy and diminish emotions linked to stress.
“For me, the most amazing thing about yoga is my daily pranayama practice. And as a writer, I feel when I do my pranayama practice, my focus and my ability to create something gets better”.
We must be conscious of what lies right above our nose? Right above the nose is the prefrontal cortex and the prefrontal cortex is like the master control room of the entire brain.
And this lies right above the nose. So you can understand from an anatomical perspective, how breathing is actually helping with your nose.
This means the mysteries of pranayama are now being unveiled scientifically. All the things that our ancient yogis always kept telling us are now coming true, especially in this day and age.
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In an age when there’s a high prevalence of disorders like ADHD ( Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and autism in children, and everyone is constantly on-screen, even small children, we need something that helps us regain concentration and focus.
From the minute a child is born, he/she is exposed to phones and screens. This is one of the reason why the ability to focus has drastically reduced. These results are being observed in today’s kids and younger generation, more than adults.
Yoga works on improving your brain power and your brain strength through a combination of body movements.
Some medical findings revealed a direct relation between yoga and brain health. Practicing yoga on a regular basis was shown to improve balance, flexibility, strength, and coordination.
Following a fixed yoga routine also reduces your risk of heart disease and increases blood vessel flexibility by 69%. It can even help shrink arterial blockages without medications.
Moreover, yoga works to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress and increases energy levels in people suffering from nervous disorders. According to certain studies on brain health, the better the brain, the stronger and better your life.
There are very, very few things that we can do to improve the functioning of the brain, and yoga is such a holistic practice.
From simple breathing techniques to eye exercises and with every single Asana that works on our spine, we’re actually improving our brain. This is the reason why children who do yoga are seen to perform better in studies.
Senior citizens who do yoga suffer less from diseases like Alzheimer’s. People who start a regular yoga practice, start seeing vast improvements in their work-life, and their family balance.
“As a yoga teacher, I can say that I have personally benefitted from regular practice of yoga, not just physically, but mentally as well.”
“Before beginning to write each day, I make it a point to practice yoga as it improves the quality of my work to a great extent. So for me, my writing ritual also includes making sure I follow a regular yoga routine.”
“There are so many things that I can write about brain and yoga, in particular. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
But the purpose of this article is to let you know that yoga is working in such subtle ways in so many improvements in your body and your brain.
Yoga helps you to think better, feel better, and be better.
Inarguably, yoga is such a simple practice that is absolutely free and has a lifelong impact on our body and mind. So, I’ll definitely recommend you to try and start your yoga habit today.
Also Read – Yoga Postures For Slow Metabolism By Ira Trivedi
