How Yoga Benefits Brain

Yoga and its health benefits are widely known to the world. Practicing yoga has shown positive effects in curing severe problems such as chronic back pain, insomnia and menopausal difficulties. It also plays an intriguing role when it comes to relaxing the mind by controlling anger and managing stress.

This new research, published in the journal Medical Hypotheses, brings in light how exercising yoga can reap benefits for the brain. It is known that practicing yoga works wonder in managing stress and the imbalance caused by it to the nervous system.

Dr. Chris Streeter, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at BUSM and Boston Medical Center said that this study was carried out to know how patients could relieve symptoms of many common disorders by handing down on several benefits of yoga. This study was based on neurophysiology and neuroanatomy.

Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine, New York Medical College and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeon, said that during stressful situations or depression there is certain imbalance in the brain that results in low activity of gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA). Low activity of GABA is associated with many ailments such as epilepsy, chronic pain, depression, anxiety and PTSD.

The researchers added that practicing yoga over a long time increases the activity of GABA that results in amelioration of disease symptoms. They further stated that the numerous advantages of yoga support the integration of yoga-based treatment in different disorders caused by stress.  

Another study was published in The Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research that showed the preventive qualities of yoga in saving the secondary school students from anger and tiredness.
The researchers concluded that findings of the study have showed that yoga has the potential to prevent stress-related complications and maintaining mental health, effectively.