Understanding Migraine (Part I) – Root Cause and Triggers
Modern medical science has no cure for migraine. Yoga therapy directly manages the root cause – an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system.
The link between Breath and Nervous System – Foundation of Pranayama
In this post, we will discuss the link between the breath and mind – which forms the foundation of Pranayama, the fourth limb of Ashtang Yoga (Ashtang means 8 limbs in Sanskrit) as formulated by the Lord Patanjali in his Yoga Sutra. There are different schools of thought in defining the mind. According to Yogic texts, the mind is the awareness of consciousness. The consciousness is itself is an unexplored subject when it comes to neuroscience. Hence, for simplicity, we…
Neurotransmitters and Diseases – Neuroscience Perspective
There are approximately 80 billion neurons in the human nervous system interconnected through trillions of synapses. These neurons communicate with one another, and with muscle cells and gland cells, by releasing chemical messengers called “Neurotransmitters”. These neurotransmitters are involved in countless functions of the nervous system and in controlling bodily functions. They play a major role in the functioning of the body in everyday life. There are also other chemicals in the body called “Hormones” that are produced by the…
Simple Habits for Relaxing and Rejuvenating Sleep – Neuroscience Yoga
Good quality sleep is vital to the health of the body and mind. Long term sleep deficiency or irregular sleep is known to carry significant health risks. So far, in a series of three posts related to sleep, we covered the importance of sleep, the brain waves and stages of sleep from a neuroscience perspective. In this post, we will cover some simple habits to help you get a relaxing and rejuvenating sleep. There is nothing more rewarding than awakening refreshed…
Neuroscience Evidence of Benefits of Yoga on Brain Health
A recent study conducted by the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and Wayne State University indicates that Yoga has a positive effect on the structure and function of key brain areas associated with memory. The findings provide evidence that yoga may hold promise in mitigating the age-related and neurodegenerative decline. The practice of Yoga originated and developed over many thousands of years by sages in ancient India, is known to have a positive effect on body and mind. Yoga…
Stages of Sleep – Neuroscience and Yoga Perspective
After learning about the brain waves in the previous post, let’s explore the stages of sleep and what happens in each stage. The neurological understanding of sleep cycle and brain waves will be useful in correlating the Yogasanas and Pranayam with their benefits in various sleep-related disorders. It will also help avoid habits that are detrimental to health. This is the third part of the sleep series. In the first part, we covered the and the second one was about…
Why is Sleep important – a Neuroscience Perspective
Good quality sleep is vital to the health of the body and mind. Adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night while adolescence needs around 9 to 10. We are just beginning to understand through Neuroscience why we need sleep. Sleep deprivation or poor-quality sleep can lead to disorders. It can be as simple as irritability, fatigue, and loss of concentration in the short-term. Long-Term sleep deprivation can lead to immune system related disorders (like inflammation, autoimmune diseases),…
Understanding the Basics of Breathing from a Neuroscience Perspective
Through this post let’s understand the basics of breathing. This will help the readers with future posts, where we will cover the influence of breathing in Yogasana and Pranayama techniques on high-level functions from a Neuroscience perspective. In Yogic texts, the mind is considered the master of the body (senses), and the breath is considered the master of the mind. Neuroscience now has evidence of this link between the body, mind, and breath. Now it is known that our breath…
Neuroscience Evidence of Pranayama – Influence of Breath over Mind
Neuroscience is now discovering what Yogic science has known for many millennia – the influence of breath over the mind. Verse 29 in Chapter 4 of ancient yogic text called “Hatha Yoga Pradipika” says: इन्द्रियाणां मनो नाथो मनोनाथस्तु मारुतः । मारुतस्य लयो नाथः स लयो नादमाश्रितः हठयोग प्रदीपिका (अध्याय ४, श्लोक २९) Indriyānām mano nātho manonāthastu mārutahMārutasya layo nāthah sa layo nādamāśritah Hatha Yoga Pradipika (Chapter 4, Verse 29) The meaning of the verse goes like this – “The Mind (मन) is…
Yoga – An excellent example of Neuroscience Biofeedback
Neuroscience has slowly started to believe in body and mind connection, which was formulated and practiced in India in the form of Yoga over thousands of years. Biofeedback is a modern medical science term coined to encapsulate the fact that the brain changes its function based on what the body is doing. And, this makes it is possible to influence (or control) various physiological and psychological functions that normally are involuntary. So far, Yogic wisdom of thousands of years (of…