Yoga & Brain health - is there any evidence?🧠
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👉Are any of your friends in love with yoga?
👉Do they constantly suggest that you should start practicing yoga as well?
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Sorry to inform you, but Yoga can be beneficial for your brain health. No excuses, time to visit yoga
class.🧘♀️
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A systematic review of the current literature showed that there is a positive effect of yoga practice
on the structure and function of several brain areas like:
✔️the hippocampus (has a major role in learning and memory)
✔️amygdala (has a role in our perception of fear and other emotions)
✔️the prefrontal cortex (it is the source of complex behaviors, planning)
✔️cingulate cortex (is involved with emotion formation processing, learning, and memory )
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There is also early and promising evidence that yoga practice can modify brain networks including
the default mode network (DMN). DMN is usually more active when a person is not focused on a
specific task, also when somebody is in a state of self-conscious reflection. Yoga may lead to
changes in functional connectivity inside DMN, which in result may increase present-moment
awareness. Being present in a moment means less rumination about the past or worrying about the future. That's why yoga practice can be recommended to people suffering from depression😢.
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Behavioural mind-body interventions like yoga also have cognitive benefits. It can be an effective program for older adults who exhibit signs of cognitive decline.
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Nonetheless, it's good to move your body!
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DOI: 10.3233/BPL-190084
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