It is no secret that yoga and meditation are good for your physical health and mental well-being. While yoga began as a spiritual practice thousands of years ago, it has become a modern-day fad with over a 100 styles of yoga and hundreds of different types of meditations. Yoga and meditation have become so mainstream even workplaces and schools have joined the movement. However, the best practices have a holistic mind-body approach combining physical postures, rhythmic breathing and meditative exercise.
Collectively, there is plenty of research evidence demonstrating that a holistic yoga practice improves physical fortitude and flexibility, enhances mental strength, changes the brain’s chemistry for better moods and sleep, increases immunity, and brings the body into balance and optimal health with its “relaxation and restoration” response. Meditation also increases dopamine (our pleasurable neurotransmitters) and develops our resilience skills so we can adapt and respond to stress, fear and anxiety in more sustainable way. Well-being and resilience are skills can be developed!
What you do with your mind changes the anatomy of your brain.
For decades, drug companies have been developing ‘smart drugs’ to boost brain function and energy, to gain mental clarity and clear brain fog. The smart pill market is estimated to reach US $6.34 billion by 2026. BUT what if a daily holistic yoga practice could go beyond optimal health and well-being, and unlock your full potential. You can literally practice tapping directly into the source of these capacities every single day.
According to neuroscience research, yoga and meditation plays a pivotal role in changing brain structure and function, and improving executive and cognitive functions – like attention, concentration, problem solving, learning and memory recall, and emotional regulation (as assessed by a variety of cognitive measures and neuroimaging analysis techniques). Experienced meditators have increased brain connectivity and communication in various regions of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex connecting to the limbic system for a focused mind, and the default mode network (or the imagination network), involved in constructing mental simulations, social cognition and highly active, weaving together thoughts, emotions, hopes, and dreams into a cohesive self-narrative.
More recently, there is a growing body of evidence showing the practice of meditation provides neuro-protective effects with longer telomeres and increased telomerase, signifying improved cellular health and longevity, keeping you younger.
And so…
Just like we take care of our physical health and hygiene, we also need proper hygiene to clean and nourish our mind and emotional well-being., and ride the waves and challenges of life.
The good news is that just two weeks of daily practice is enough time to improve your well-being, and up to 8 weeks to change the brain. But meditation won’t change your brain for the better unless you actually sit down and practice! Once you begin to experience the benefits, it will inspire you to continue practicing for the rest of your life. Like me! I started my yoga journey in 1995 and daily meditations in 2001, and it changed my life for the better.
There are 100s of styles of yoga and meditations, you are surely to find one that suits your life style and personal preferences. This is about experiencing it for yourself. To help you get started, I created the following your breath meditation and posted it on my YouTube channel.
For those that need proof, studies and supporting evidence can be found on MEDLINE, PsychINFO, PubMed, Indian Council of Medical Research, and Cochrane.