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Tag: Restorative Yoga

Managing Migraine Symptoms through Yoga Therapy (Part 2 – Migraine)

Managing Migraine Symptoms through Yoga Therapy (Part 2 – Migraine)

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In our previous post, we covered the root cause, potential triggers, and some lifestyle changes for migraines. In this post, we plan to cover the management of migraine symptoms – primarily the headache. The poses suggested in this post are known to alleviate the symptoms if done correctly under the guidance of an experienced Yoga therapist. All the poses are based on Iyengar Yoga. As mentioned in the earlier post, migraine is a secondary manifestation of the primary disorder, which…

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Adho Mukha Virasana Insomnia Yoga Chikitsa Neuroscience
Yoga Therapy for Insomnia – Based on Neuroscience Understanding

Yoga Therapy for Insomnia – Based on Neuroscience Understanding

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This is the next post in the series on sleep disorders. So far, we covered the importance of sleep, neuroscience brain waves, sleep stages, healthy sleep habits, and types and causes of Insomnia. In this post let’s see how Yoga (Yogasana and Pranayama) can be used as a therapy for insomnia. Please note that this information is not a health or medical advice. Always consult a qualified medical professional or qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about…

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Brain Waves – A Neuroscience Measure of State of Mind

Brain Waves – A Neuroscience Measure of State of Mind

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In our previous post, we covered the Neuroscience perspective of the importance of sleep, and what happens when we sleep. Before we discuss the next topics on sleep i.e. the stages of sleep and how Yoga helps in improving quality sleep, it is important to understand the neuroscience of brain waves – a measurable indicator of the state of mind. Our brain has approximately 80 to 100 billion neurons, which communicate with each other by transmitting electrical impulses through neural…

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Understanding the Basics of Breathing from a Neuroscience Perspective

Understanding the Basics of Breathing from a Neuroscience Perspective

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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…

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Yoga Stimulates Vagus Nerve to Induce Relaxation Response – a key to Emotional Health

Yoga Stimulates Vagus Nerve to Induce Relaxation Response – a key to Emotional Health

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Vagus Nerve is the largest cranial nerve in the body. It starts at the base of the skull and runs throughout the whole body. It plays a central role in your emotional and physical health. It directly influences the nervous system – particularly the Parasympathetic branch of the Autonomic Nervous System (covered in a previous post). Our breath, heart rate, and digestion — as well as our overall ability to experience the world (particular how to handle the stress in…

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Why 20 Minutes of Cooling Down is Important in Yoga Practice?

Why 20 Minutes of Cooling Down is Important in Yoga Practice?

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Let’s understand why the Yogic wisdom of “cooling down” is important from the lenses of modern Neuroscience. In any stressful situation during your normal daily routine (including fear, worry, and anxiety) or even a planned activity that challenges the body (like Sports, Exercise or an active Yogasana practice), the Hypothalamus (the control center for the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)) is aroused. To prepare the body for the threatening or challenging situation, the Hypothalamus directs the Adrenal Medullae to release a…

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How can I Alleviate Jet Lag and How Iyengar Yoga helps?

How can I Alleviate Jet Lag and How Iyengar Yoga helps?

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Jet lag is a condition that results from changes to the body’s internal clock called ‘Circadian Rhythms’. This is caused by rapid travel across different time zones. The circadian rhythm influences the biological, physiological and behavioral processes in our typical 24-hour cycle. These processes include the sleep-wake cycle, eating habits, core body temperature, brain wave activity, hormone production, and other important body functions. When you travel across time zones, the rhythm gets disturbed which causes sleep disturbances, cognitive discomfort, fatigue,…

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Why cover eyes using a blanket or eye pillow during restorative yoga poses?

Why cover eyes using a blanket or eye pillow during restorative yoga poses?

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Your Iyengar Yoga teacher may have instructed you to cover your eyes with a blanket or eye pillow during deep relaxing restorative yoga poses – particularly Savasana. Do you want to know the scientific reason for this? Covering your eyes this way would prevent any light from falling on the eyes reducing the external stimulation. The eye pillow (a small one and not very heavy), in particular, would damp out extraneous motions of the eyes. This would prevent any possible…

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Neuroscience PTSD Yoga
Why Yoga helps in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Why Yoga helps in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

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The restorative yoga poses bring back the homeostatic balance caused by trauma. This can be very helpful to a person suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Under a sustained experience of trauma, the stress hormone called ‘Cortisol’ is consistently overproduced. It eventually causes the desensitization of the HPA axis. Because of this the nervous system no longer responds to the normal homeostatic feedback loop that otherwise in a normal course causes it to “calm down”. This means the HPA axis…

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