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Yoga stimulates the brain
Posted: 02.25.2011 at 7:26 PM
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BACKGROUND: Yoga is an ancient practice, originating in India more than 5,000 years ago. It started as a mental and physical exercise system designed to prolong life, enhance health and promote personal freedom. The word “Yoga” literally means “to join or yoke together,” and describes the practice’s ability to harmonize the body and the mind. Students of Yoga are taught to respect their body deeply, care for it, and view it as the most precious instrument of existence. The practice of Yoga is based on the three distinct structures of exercise, breathing and meditation. The exercise structure consists of movements and posturing that are designed to apply bodily pressure on the body’s glandular systems. This pressure stimulates the system and maximizes its potential. Yoga students also learn unique breathing techniques, which are constructed around the belief that one’s breath is the body’s quintessential life force. Once one gains discipline in the structures of exercise and breathing, he or she is ready for the third structure: meditation. After learning meditation, the student is able to quiet their mind and focus on the calming reality of the present moment (SOURCE: American Yoga Association - http://www.americanyogaassociation.org)THE EIGHT STEPS OF YOGA: Sometime between 1st Century B.C. and 5th Century A.D., an ancient scholar named Patanjali wrote a definitive collection of Yoga theories and practices called Yoga Sutras, which implemented a system called “Ashtanga Yoga,” otherwise known as the “eight limbs of Yoga.” Most of the currently practiced types of Yoga are derived from this system. The steps are as follows: 1. Yama (“restraint”) 2. Niyama (“observance”) 3. Asana (physical exercise) 4. Pranayama (breathing methods) 5. Pratyahara (involves “withdrawal of the mind from the sense” in preparation for meditation) 6. Dharana (prolonged concentration) 7. Dhyana (meditation) 8. “Samadhi” (“absorption,” or, “realization of the nature of the self”). (SOURCE: American Yoga Association)
TYPES OF YOGA: According to the American Yoga Association, hundreds of different forms and schools of Yoga practice exist, but a few have grown in prominence and popularity. Perhaps the most commonly known is Hatha Yoga, which includes frequently-implemented exercise postures and movements, as well as key breathing methods. Raja Yoga, also called the “royal road,” is aptly named due to its well-rounded incorporation of breathing, exercise, mediation and study. Jnana Yoga is said to be the most difficult type, as it involves disciplining oneself into following “the path of wisdom.” More strictly deistic types of Yoga include Bhakti and Karma, both of which are centered around a devotion to, and personal relationship with, God. Tantra Yoga is unique in its use of diagrams, words and movements designed to make manifest one’s “unseen consciousness.” Another strong yogic ideology is found in Kashmir Shaivism, which assigns interdependent male and female qualities to everything found in the universe, relying on emotion to achieve balance between them.
HEALTH BENEFITS: Work in the research lab shows work on the mat may be working wonders for your brain.
"We have really cutting edge neuro imaging that allows us to measure GABA in the brain so now we can actually measure a chemical that goes up when people do a yoga practice," explains Boston University School of Medicine doctor, Chris Streeter.
She says GABA is a chemical in your brain - released when you're happy. Brain scans show yoga stimulates the brain by boosting mood while decreasing anxiety.
A new study found those who did yoga three times weekly saw a consistent increase in GABA levels. Those who simply walked saw no change at all. The study found an hour of yoga boosted GABA levels 27-percent over relaxing with book for an hour.