The science of yoga
The Vedas are ancient Indian texts that contain the first references to yogic practice. These were composed around 1500 to 1200 BC.
Yoga has, therefore, been around for thousands of years, long before the rise of Western medicine and the scientific methods that allow for robust research. Despite this, more and more evidence is showing that the techniques and traditions used in yoga greatly benefit the mind-body system.
Asanas
‘Asanas’ are the physical postures in yoga. In the traditional series, these are performed in a certain order, and you were not allowed to move on to the next pose unless you’d mastered the one before it.
In terms of a type of movement, the physical poses of yoga fall into the same category of benefits as other types of movement; in relation to physical benefits, they build strength and mobility; in relation to mental benefits, they improve coordination, build focus and release all the good chemicals/neurotransmitters in response to the movement, including dopamine and endorphins.
However, in addition to this, the yoga asanas generate the additional benefits that go a little beyond other types of movement:
Balanced mobility – because the asanas use all muscle groups and incorporate movements across all planes of movement, they offer a perfect balance of mobility. When taught properly, no muscle groups or types of movement are favoured over others, meaning injuries that come from overuse or imbalance, are less likely.
Sense of achievement – yoga can bring a real sense of achievement for people. This is because, as you build up and master new poses, you start to feel confident and competent. Yoga provides so many opportunities for this as there are so many poses that increase with difficulty. This compounds the dopamine and endorphins that you produce in exercise and works to counter stress to a greater degree. Of course this will, on the flip side, give rise to frustration, but that is all part of the process and we lean into that!
My favourite aspect of the asanas is watching students give them a go and realise they are capable of more than they think!
Pranayama
This just refers to the ancient practice of controlled breathing. Yoga teaches 8 types of breath, all for different purposes, ranging from energising the body to calming the mind.
The breath is deeply connected to the nervous system, acting as a bridge between conscious control and involuntary processes. Breathing influences two key parts of the autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic nervous system, (which triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response) and the parasympathetic nervous system, (which activates the ‘rest and digest mode). This is the system we want to be in most of the time.
Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)
When you breathe rapidly or shallowly, it can activate the sympathetic nervous system, increasing heart rate, increasing oxygen to the brain and releasing stress hormones like cortisol. All of this prepares the body for action.
There are a few types of breathing in yoga that manufacture this state by either extending the inhale, increasing the breaths per minute or making the breath forceful. This is useful in short bursts, because it is intended to prepare you for action, waking you up if you feel tired and improving mental focus. However, chronically being in this system, can lead to anxiety, high blood pressure, and other health issues.
Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS)
On the other hand, slow, full breathing — especially diaphragmatic breathing or a breath that extends the exhale — stimulates the PSNS, calming the body down. It lowers heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and promotes relaxation.
Additionally, certain types of breath help shift the nervous system into this restful state by activating the vagus nerve, a key player in the parasympathetic response. This can reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, and promote a sense of wellbeing. However, we also don’t want to be in this state all the time as we will struggle in moments where action is needed.
Essentially, breath control provides a direct way to influence the nervous system, allowing us to consciously manage stress and maintain balance. Controlled and mindful breathing, like the techniques practiced in yoga through Pranayama, also promote cardiovascular health which is wonderful for our physical wellbeing.
Chanting
The use of chanting and mantras fits with the fifth limb of yoga: Pratyahara. This means ‘withdrawal of the senses’. This, essentially, refers to the turning of the mind inward and away from external distractions (see section on mindfulness).
In addition to providing an accessible route to being mindful and meditative, chanting, particularly mantras that have a lower register (like ‘Om’) vibrate the larynx which, in turn, triggers the vagus nerve and stimulates the PSNS.
Research also suggests that repetitive vocalisation, like chanting, triggers a meditative state, increasing levels of gamma waves in the brain. Gamma brain waves are associated with heightened mental activity, cognitive functioning and information processing. This is the brain state that is optimal for focussing, learning and memory recall. These brain waves can also provide for increased insight and creative problem solving.
Mindfulness
While meditation is the yogic tradition, this can be very inaccessible for some people.
Mindfulness is the ability to hold the mind in the present moment. When we are mindful, we cannot think about the past or the future, which is what gives rise to the ruminations and overthinking. So, all meditation is mindfulness but not as mindfulness is meditation.
Mindfulness is another way to reduce cortisol in the body, increase feel-good neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and dopamine) and draw ourselves into our PSNS. Studies have shown that mindfulness can reduce inflammation, improve heart health and lower blood pressure.
Functional MRI scans have also revealed that mindfulness enhances activity in the pre-frontal cortex (the ‘rational’ portion of the brain) and reduces activity in the amygdala (the emotional portion of the brain). This means that mindfulness can improve cognitive function, increase our ability to emotionally regulate and be resilient.
It is a wonderful tool that can be used at any point in life.
Yoga offers many opportunities to practice mindfulness:
Asanas – the asanas are performed using the breath (usually into a pose on the inhale and settle into the pose on the exhale, with some exceptions) and are held for around five breaths. This, in itself settles the mind in the body, holding it in the present moment.
Pranayama – the way the breath and breathing techniques are used in yoga is very mindful. Again this anchors the mind and gives it something to focus on.
Chanting and Mantras – repeating a mantra, as chanting does, draws attention to the sounds and vibration, creating a mindful, meditative state. Again, this draws the mind to the present moment because we can only focus on one thing at a time!
We ‘hold our emotions in our hips’
Yogic tradition states that we hold our emotions in our hips and uses hip opening postures as a means of releasing these emotions. This may sound very hippy dippy, but, given the muscular structure around the hips, there is a lot of sense to it.
The psoas muscle is a muscle that runs deep, essentially connecting the lower body to the upper body. It attaches at the T12 – L5 vertebrae, extending through front of the pelvis and finally attaching itself to the femur (the lesser trochanter, to be exact!). This means that the psoas is likely to impact the amount of mobility in the hips.
In relation to ‘holding our emotions there’, the psoas attaches roughly where the diaphragm is. If we aren’t mostly using that diaphragmatic breath (i.e. a breath where the diaphragm moves freely) and are instead stuck in that short shallow breath that comes with being in the sympathetic nervous system, there will be limited movement here.
A short shallow breath is characteristic of a lot of acute, negative emotions, including stress, sadness, fear or anger. This is because the mind-body system is preparing the body for action when it experiences these emotions (hence ‘fight or flight’).
Additionally, as a result of this, the body’s posture changes when we experience these emotions as the mind-body system feels like it needs to protect the major organs when we are in the ‘fight or flight’ state. This can be why we tend to slump forward. This change in posture causes excessive hip flexion which shortens to psoas muscle, reducing the movement of the hips.
So, the reduced movement of the diaphragm when we are in acute states of negative emotion, and the resulting posture change, can give rise to restricted mobility in the hips. This gives an understanding as to why the yogic belief that we hold emotions in our hips may be true for some of us.
So, to conclude, yoga has taught ways to support our physical and emotional wellbeing for thousands of years. Western science is now starting to realise how beneficial these practices are. So, if you’ve never done yoga before, give it a try! Don’t be afraid to be a beginner when it comes to yoga!
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