How Yoga Can Improve Your Mental Health and Well-Being
02 SEP 2022
How Yoga Can Improve Your Mental Health and Well-Being
Yoga is a popular practice that can benefit your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. But did you know that yoga can also improve your brain health and cognitive function? In this blog post, we will explore how yoga can boost your mental health and well-being by enhancing your memory, attention, awareness, mood, and resilience.
How Yoga Improves Your Memory
Memory is the ability to store and recall information. It is essential for learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Memory can be divided into two types: short-term memory and long-term memory. Short-term memory holds information for a few seconds or minutes, while long-term memory stores information for days, months, or years.
Yoga can improve both types of memory by strengthening parts of the brain that play a key role in memory formation and retrieval. One of these parts is the hippocampus, which is responsible for consolidating short-term memory into long-term memory. The hippocampus is also involved in spatial navigation and emotional regulation.
Studies have shown that people who regularly practice yoga have larger hippocampal volumes than those who do not¹. This suggests that yoga can protect the hippocampus from age-related decline and enhance its function. Yoga can also increase the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that promotes the growth and survival of brain cells. BDNF can improve synaptic plasticity, which is the ability of brain cells to form new connections and adapt to new experiences.
How Yoga Improves Your Attention
Attention is the ability to focus on a specific stimulus or task while ignoring distractions. It is crucial for concentration, learning, and performance. Attention can be divided into three types: selective attention, sustained attention, and divided attention. Selective attention is the ability to focus on one thing while filtering out irrelevant information. Sustained attention is the ability to maintain focus on a task for a prolonged period of time. Divided attention is the ability to multitask or switch between different tasks.
Yoga can improve all types of attention by activating and enhancing parts of the brain that are involved in attention regulation. One of these parts is the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is responsible for executive functions such as planning, organizing, reasoning, and inhibiting impulses. The PFC also controls the allocation of attentional resources and the suppression of distractions.
Studies have shown that people who regularly practice yoga have higher levels of activation and connectivity in the PFC than those who do not. This indicates that yoga can improve the efficiency and flexibility of attentional processes. Yoga can also increase the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that inhibits excessive brain activity and promotes calmness. GABA can reduce mental noise and enhance focus and clarity.
How Yoga Improves Your Awareness
Awareness is the ability to be conscious of your own thoughts, feelings, sensations, and surroundings. It is essential for self-awareness, self-regulation, and mindfulness. Awareness can be divided into two types: internal awareness and external awareness. Internal awareness is the ability to monitor your own mental states and bodily sensations. External awareness is the ability to perceive and respond to external stimuli and events.
Yoga can improve both types of awareness by stimulating and integrating parts of the brain that are involved in interoception and exteroception. Interoception is the process of sensing internal bodily signals such as heartbeat, breath, hunger, and pain. Exteroception is the process of sensing external stimuli such as sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.
Studies have shown that people who regularly practice yoga have higher levels of activation and connectivity in parts of the brain that are associated with interoception and exteroception than those who do not. These parts include the insula, which integrates sensory information from both internal and external sources; the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which evaluates the salience and relevance of sensory information; and the somatosensory cortex (SSC), which processes tactile information from different body parts.
By enhancing interoception and exteroception, yoga can increase your awareness of your own physical and mental states as well as your environment. This can help you become more mindful
