Yoga has origins in Ancient India and is more than just gymnastics or poses-it’s also about controlled breathing called pranayama, deep relaxation and meditation and something known as yoga nidra, which is basically the original hypnotherapy.
Modern Research Supporting Yoga For Mood Issues
Modern medical research studies are now suggesting that yoga has similar effects to the best conventional combined treatment for mood issues, sleep problems, anxiety and for improving attention and concentration–so it’s potentially as good as the best pills out there for these problems without all the side effects.
This really cool study has a diagram . I have to share because it’s so revolutionary that now we can find stuff like this in bona fide medical journals, this one is called Frontiers in Psychiatry–it looks at all the newest stuff coming out about mental health.
Ok, so Some of the effects of Yoga in this picture are things like reversing HPA axis hyperactivity, which I talk about ALOT in all of our programs as a main cause of sleep problems, anxiety, IBS, and even weight issues. It decreases cortisol and other stress hormones, actually CHANGES what peptides get made in your brain–like increasing your happy hormone serotonin amoung others. Yoga also can even increase this really cool thing called brain neurotrophic factors, which helps you make new brain cells–so it makes you smarter–it enhances something called neurogenesis–pretty cool!!
It also boosts how well your immune cells function and increases how well your brain is able to get to sleep and stay asleep.
Yoga IS Medicine…..
OK wow!! So yoga is actually MEDICINE!!!!! is what we are saying. And as an integrative medicine doc that is music to my ears!! I have a pretty serious practice, get up every morning to do at least a half hour, usually an hour of yoga and then usually another short session in the evenings after work because I’m total proof that it works, makes you look and feel younger without spending any money on creams, scary needles or fancy supplements!
Yoga For Insomnia
In the sleep studies, people with severe sleep problems who did yoga for 6 months were sleeping well at the end of the study, had more energy during the day, no longer felt depressed and felt over just better. Often these are people who have tried the all the pills that doctors usually give for sleep problems with little improvement or intolerable side effects!
So My message to you is this: As a doctor and a yogi, one of the best things you can do to help with sleep problems, stress, feeling tired or feeling anxious is to start making an appointment with yourself for 20 minutes each morning to do yoga.
Yoga is powerful medicine, but it’s not ‘fast food medicine’–meaning it’s gonna take some time, but you will get better from these problems I’ve been talking about if you just do yoga. Everyone gets better with you who suffers with these problems. T
How To Yoga At Home…
To get started at home, please check out our full length Yoga for Beginners video today and leave me your questions and comments so you can get the most out of the video and start feeling amazing!!
Yours In health,
Feel Free to Share If you Enjoyed This Post! :)
I really love this article. It is great to see a medical based diagram of effects of yoga in the body/brain. Thank you so much for putting this together.
Whenever I have practiced yoga in my life, I have been more connected, energised and positive than ever before. It even encourages me to do more positive things like 1. eat healthily 2. be more active 3. meditate 4. smile!
Will definitely be coming back to read more of your articles Dani – loving it!
With love,
Jess
I’m so glad you liked it Jess!:) More to come! -Dr. Dani