The Benefits of Yoga from Three Perspectives
My Kundalini teacher friends often talk in terms of the head brain, the heart brain, and the gut brain. I love this because it’s a poignant descriptor. I know just what they mean when they refer to their gut brain. “I had a gut feeling,” or “my stomach dropped,” or “my stomach was in my throat” all describe familiar responses to experiences that don’t sit quite right or cause worry. The Head Brain speaks loudly, too. “I knew I was right,” and “Knowledge is power” both describe the potential we ascribe to knowing facts and information. And finally, did you know that the heart has an intrinsic nervous system made up of 40,000 neurons that likely play a function in memory transfer to the brain?! My head brain can hardly imagine that!
As yoga teachers, we often feel the need to defend yoga’s benefits - to shout them from the rooftops or convince a skeptic that yoga is good for you! Today I’m going to use my Kundalini friends’ Three Brain Perspective to outline a few of the documented benefits of yoga.
The Head Brain - How do I benefit physically from yoga?
The practice of yoga has been around for thousands of years. In its early days, it didn’t look the way it does now. It’s definitely evolved. As a wellness tool with ancient roots, it’s taken a while for science to catch up with what some people have had a felt sense of knowing about for centuries. So then, what does yoga do for my physical health? My Head Brain wants to KNOW! Here are just a few well-documented physical benefits of yoga.
Grey matter (important to cognitive and emotional function) volume is higher in people who practice yoga regularly compared to people who are physically active but do not practice yoga. This is true even as the practiced yogi ages compared to their younger counterparts. (2015)
Yoga also affects the structure of other parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, and the amygdala, suggesting that age-related and neurodegenerative declines could be mitigated or delayed by a regular yoga practice. (2019)
Yoga can decrease addiction cravings when used as part of a cessation program compared to those programs that do not include yoga. (2020)
Yoga can help reduce chronic pain when practiced over the short-term (0-6 months) and intermediate-term (6-12 months). (2018)
Yoga can help decrease insomnia in postmenopausal women (2012)
Yoga and meditation have been shown to reduce the psychological and physiological effects of stress in cancers and in HIV infection. (2008)
The Gut Brain - How do I benefit emotionally from yoga?
The emotional and mental well-being effects of yoga are strongly demonstrated in scientific literature. In short, yoga is good for your mental and emotional health! Mindfulness has long been a holistic health practice in the east, and our modern western context has caught on. These are just a few examples of the mental health benefits associated with yoga throughout life.
In children, multiple studies have suggested that yoga reduces anxiety and leads to decreases in inattentiveness and hyperactivity when integrated into the school day. (2019) (2015)
Sleep quality improves and stress is reduced in college students who practice yoga. Further, these benefits continue for at least some months. (2020)
Several studies and reviews point to the positive effects of yoga, meditation, and breathwork (pranayama) on mental health, including a selective recruitment of neurocognitive resources to disengage from negative emotional processes and engage in working memory and inhibitory control tasks among yoga practitioners. (2019) (2024)
The Heart Brain - How do I benefit from yoga socially?
Yoga studios and gyms offer the opportunity for social and emotional connection among people attending public yoga classes. Although the postures, meditation, mindfulness, and breathwork benefit the body and the mind, the community at a gym, studio, or in a regular class can make a big difference in combating loneliness, connecting like-minded people and helping us see our differences through a neutral lens, and providing a context for overall well-being.
In its eight years, our studio community has grown and strengthened. Friendships have formed and support systems have been established and fortified. When I walk into the yoga room to begin a class, I am inspired by the conversations and laughter. The authentic connection between yoga buddies is beautiful. I am never frustrated and almost always humbled by the way that studio “regulars” welcome “newbies” into the fold.
Some studies suggest that social ties boost longevity by up to 50% (2010). In any case, maybe the oldest and truest intention of yoga - connection - is its most significant benefit.