How yoga changes the brain and how much you need to practice to make it happen
Miscellaneous / / January 15, 2022
A way to make flexible not only the body, but also the mind.
How yoga changes brain structures
In 2019, a review was published in the journal Brain PlasticityN. P. Gothe, I. Khan, J. Hayes. Yoga Effects on Brain Health: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature / Brain plasticity 11 scientific papers that compared the state of the brain of people who regularly practiced yoga from six months to eight years, and those who are not familiar with Eastern practice.
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), scientists scanned the participants' brains and found 1. Rui F Afonso 1, Joana B Balardin 1, Sara Lazar. Greater Cortical Thickness in Elderly Female Yoga Practitioners‑A Cross‑Sectional Study / Frontiers in aging neuroscience
2. b. Froeliger, E. L. Garland, F. J. McClernon. Yoga Meditation Practitioners Exhibit Greater Gray Matter Volume and Fewer Reported Cognitive Failures: Results of a Preliminary Voxel‑Based Morphometric Analysis / Complementary and alternative medicine
3. C. Willemure, M. Cheko, V. A. cotton. Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency‑dependent plasticity / Frontiers in human neuroscience
4. N. P. Gothe, J. M. Hayes, C. Temali. Differences in Brain Structure and Function Among Yoga Practitioners and Controls / Frontiers in integrative neuroscience
5. v. R. Hariprasad, S. Varambally, V. Shivakumar. Yoga increases the volume of the hippocampus in elderly subjects / Indian journal of psychiatrythat, compared with normal people of the same age, yogis have a greater volume of gray matter in several areas of the prefrontal, temporal and occipital cortex of the brain brain, cerebellum and structures of the limbic system - amygdala and hippocampus.
Gray matter is the bodies of nerve cells, glia and capillaries that make up the cerebral cortex and cerebellum, as well as some other structures deep in the brain. With age, as well as with certain diseases and excessive stress, the density of neurons may decrease.K. b. Walhovd, L. T. Westley, I. Amlien. Consistent neuroanatomical age‑related volume differences across multiple samples / Neurobiology of agingwhich negatively affects different aspects of thinking.
In the long term, the increased volume of these areas may improve 1. L. R. Squire. Memory and the hippocampus: a synthesis from findings with rats, monkeys, and humans / Psychological review
2. C. S. Carter, M. M. Botvinick, J. D. Cohen. The contribution of the anterior cingulate cortex to executive processes in cognition / Reviews in the neurosciences.
3. J. C. Culham, N. G. Kanwisher. Neuroimaging of cognitive functions in human parietal cortex / Current opinion in neurobiology
4. A. Talati, J. Hirsch. Functional specialization within the medial frontal gyrus for perceptual go/no-go decisions based on "what," "when," and "where" related information: an fMRI study / Journal of cognitive neuroscience
5. M. F. S. Rushworth, M. E. Walton, S.W. Kennerley. Action sets and decisions in the medial frontal cortex / Cognitive sciences
6. M. L. Kringelbach, E. T. Rolls. The functional neuroanatomy of the human orbitofrontal cortex: evidence from neuroimaging and neuropsychology / Progress in neurobiology memory, attention and cognitive control (the ability to adjust behavior to current needs, as well as make choices based on the context of the situation).
Moreover, long-term yoga practice improvesD. F. Santaella, J. b. Balardin, R. F. Afonso. Greater Anteroposterior Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity in Long‑Term Elderly Yoga Practitioners / Frontiers in aging neuroscience the number of connections between the prefrontal cortex and the right angular gyrus. And just 12 weeks of classes improveH. A. Eire, B. Acevedo, H. Yang. Changes in Neural Connectivity and Memory Following a Yoga Intervention for Older Adults: A Pilot Study / Journal of Alzheimer’s disease interaction of the structures of the network of the passive mode of the brain in the elderly. Such changes may protect against the cognitive decline that often occurs. with age.
How yoga changes the ability to cope with tasks
Yoga classes affect not only the volume of brain structures, but also their work.
For example, in one experimentN. P. Gothe, J. M. Hayes, C. Temali. Differences in Brain Structure and Function Among Yoga Practitioners and Controls /Frontiers in integrative neuroscience participants performed the Sternberg working memory test, where they need to look at several objects, and after a while recall them and give an accurate answer as quickly as possible.
The assignment was simple, so experienced practitioners and people unfamiliar with yoga, responded equally quickly and correctly. But at the same time, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was much less activated in yogis. This part of the brain is sensitive to cognitive load: the more expensive the task, the more activity it has. The scientists concluded that the test was much easier for adherents of Eastern practices than for people from the control group.
In another research work, they foundb. E. Froeliger, E. L. Garland, L. A. Modlin. Neurocognitive correlates of the effects of yoga meditation practice on emotion and cognition: a pilot study / Frontiers in integrative neurosciencethat yoga helps to cope with tasks despite negative emotions. The participants were given to complete the test, and in the process they were distracted by different pictures - neutral or with a negative emotional coloring.
In both groups, the amygdala activated in response to the unpleasant images. But here mood only those who were in the control deteriorated from this.
When something repulsive was shown to yogis, activity increased not only in the amygdala, but also in another area - the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. As a result, they completed the task and at the same time felt normal, did not experience negativity from unpleasant pictures.
Scientists have concluded that under the influence of yoga, the brain learns to suppress unnecessary emotional stimuli and, due to this, better cope with tasks.
Why yoga changes the brain
Researchers suggest that all components of Eastern practice, including the performance of postures, meditation and breathing exercises have a positive effect.
For example, in one experimentC. Willemure, M. Cheko, V. A. cotton. Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency‑dependent plasticity / Frontiers in human neuroscience considered that the combination of asanas with meditation provides 42% changes in the volume of gray matter in the hippocampus, and meditation and breathing exercises are responsible for 44% of the variation in the volume of the visual cortex and superior parietal lobe brain.
The authors of the meta-analysis suggestedN. P. Gothe, I. Khan, J. Hayes. Yoga Effects on Brain Health: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature / Brain plasticitythat yoga helps change the brain by reducing stress levels, since it directly affects the volume of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, worsens the results in tests of memory and attention.
Both physical exercises, and breathing, and meditation have a relaxing effect, reduce 1. G. Kirkwood, H. Rampes, V. Tuffrey. Yoga for anxiety: a systematic review of the research evidence / British Journal of Sports Medicine
2. C. S. M. Chong, M. Tsunaka, H. W. H. Tsang. Effects of yoga on stress management in healthy adults: A systematic review / Alternative therapies in health and medicine anxiety and stress, which has a good effect on health, the ability to take the right solutions, efficiently switch between multiple tasks and concentrate.
How much to exercise to improve brain health
In one experimentC. Willemure, M. Cheko, V. A. cotton. Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency‑dependent plasticity / Frontiers in human neuroscience noticed that the volume of gray matter in the hippocampus and some areas of the cortex increases in proportion to years of practice. Moreover, the state of the brain also depends on the hours spent on classes per week.
In other words, the more regularly and for longer you practice, the better your brain will be able to cope with stress factors and negative emotions, which in the end will have a good effect on its functionality in in general.
Moreover, some positive changes can be obtainedH. A. Eire, B. Acevedo, H. Yang. Changes in Neural Connectivity and Memory Following a Yoga Intervention for Older Adults: A Pilot Study / Journal of Alzheimer’s disease after 12 weeks of regular yoga classes.
Thus, even three months of practice can be beneficial. And if yoga becomes part of the lifestyle, it will help to avoid age-related changes in the brain and maintain a clear mind and sharp mind until old age.
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