How Yoga helps to become calmer and happier

Irina Vanyukin

The founder of the project YOGA @ WORK.

When the head seething with ideas, time for anything lacking, and routine delays to mental harmony far. We catch up with the constant stress, chronic fatigue and apathy. We worry a lot and do not know how to truly relax.

There is an effective method that can improve the emotional and physical condition - is yoga. Scientists have long been interested in her, and that's what they showed.

How yoga affects the condition of the body

On the physical level, yoga has a positive effect on all systems of the body, and most importantly - the nervous and hormonal systems.

1. It is helping to realize stress signals

In practicing yoga is more developedInsular cortex mediates increased pain tolerance in yoga practitioners insula (or island) of the brain. It's part of the cortex responsible for body awareness, understanding of his reactions and emotions. Yoga teaches us to feel your body, and it makes an island to work more efficiently. The brain identifies the emotion that caused stress, and gives it to grow. As a result of practicing yoga calmly react to difficult situations.

2. learns to relax

Yoga teaches the body right to "use" the sympathetic nervous system that is responsible for the activity. We remain focused and not succumb to the reaction "fight or flight". Yoga also includesEffects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder the work of the parasympathetic nervous system, which allows you to calm down the body and brain.

According to the surveyPostural baroreflex stimuli may affect EEG arousal and sleep in humansConducted by Roger Cole back in 1989, restoring the inverted asanas of yoga to soothe the brain through the action of the so-called the baroreflex. The bottom line is that when blood pressure increases, the baroreceptors in the neck transmit a signal about the brain and the brain sends a signal to reduce the pressure of the heart. As found Cole, parallel to the same reflex soothes brain: it sends a signal to relax when the pressure increases in the neck.

3. It reduces the level of stress hormone

yoga reducesCortisol and antidepressant effects of yoga cortisol blood. Already after the first session an absolute majority notes mood enhancement. No stress - do not have it consequences for the organism.

How to get maximum benefit from yoga

Yoga - this is an exciting journey into my body, bestow a lot of interesting discoveries. To succeed, three things are important.

1. Practice regularly. Takes 2-3 times a week. At some point you will want to spread a mat for yoga at home.
2. Give yourself time. Do not expect that you will become a different person in a couple of months, watch his transformation.
3. Find the right person and you teacher yoga style.

Try different things, read, study - your inner "I" choose what you want, because the body can not be fooled. The earlier start, the notice the effect faster. And then the world will sparkle with new bright colors and serene happiness fill every day of your life.