Last year I really got into yoga and I practice it on a regular basis now. I prefer the physical exercises, but I also meditate sometimes. There are different branches of yoga and one of them is called Hatha Yoga. “Hatha” means “force” which symbolizes the physical effort that is included. There are many different exercises called asanas with a lot of effects on body and mind. We’ll check that out later but first we’ll have a look on the general effects.
There is great interest in yoga in research not least to find out if it is any good in terms of prevention. I’m almost finished with physiotherapy school and therefore pretty interested in this research area. In my opinion the health system should focus more on prevention and offer financial support for those who take care of themselves.
In 2013 there was a study published which showed acute effects of yoga on the brain. The researchers found out, that only 20 minutes of yoga had a significant positive effect on speed and precision of the brain and the inhibitory control. These functions are very important to stay focused and to memorize new information.
In different books and the internet, I found more positive effects. Apparently, yoga influences the autonomic nervous system. For those of you who don’t know: the autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls the fight or flight mechanism which means the blood pressure and the respiratory rate increase and stress hormones are released. Nowadays we don’t need to fight wild animals anymore but we all know about stress in our daily lives I assume. And that are the times the sympathetic nervous system is active. So, the parasympathetic system is the antagonist and decreases the blood pressure and respiratory rate. With an active parasympathetic system, the digestive system and the immune system can be active, and the body is able to recover. Yoga has a positive influence on the parasympathetic nervous system which leads to relaxation and healing. This way you can get rid of negative emotions such as impatience, fury or hatred and improve your mental stability. With an active parasympathetic system there is also an effect in the hormone system. If it is out of balance, we get dry skin, sleeping problems or a headache for example. There are some asanas that support the endocrine system and help to regain the balance. This way pain medication or sleeping pills could be avoided.
Yoga could also help to get more self-confident. To practice regularly improves strength and balance of body and soul and therefore improves trust in yourself. In the next days I’ll share some yoga poses and their effects with you. Tomorrow I’ll start with a pose that is called “the warrior” – stay tuned.
Namasté
Here is the link for the study I mentioned: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.de/&httpsredir=1&article=1040&context=coe_khs
