If you’ve got ants in your pants or an itch in your hitch, the thought of simultaneously quieting your body and mind might seem difficult or even downright unpleasant. If you’re a chronic finger fidgeter or foot tapper, the mind-body exercises of yoga or tai chi might be your path to a more peaceful mind.
Yoga is a discipline that unites body poses (called asanas), breathing exercises and meditation. The practice began in India more than 5,000 years ago. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit “yug” – to yoke or join. The physical postures were originally used to strengthen the body so it could sit in meditation for long periods of time.
There have been numerous studies conducted to uncover the mental and physical health benefits of yoga. However, many of these studies have very small samples and no control group. Fortunately, valid, scientific inquiry is expanding. According to Harvard Health Publications, recent studies point to yoga practitioners enjoying reduced levels of stress, anxiety and depression. They also report that after a group of Australian Vietnam veterans participated in yoga and breathing for six weeks, their severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms became “mild to
moderate.”
experienced yoga practitioners
were found to have increased
gray matter in areas of the
brain related to pain processing, regulation and attention.
The longer the person had practiced yoga, the greater the volume of gray matter.
The study, which was partially funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), also found these yogis could tolerate cold pain twice as long as people who didn’t do mind-body work. How did they do it? They were able to use their breath to relax and enter into a state of observing the sensation of the cold and accepting it without reacting to it. In other words, they did not get carried away in the thought of the pain.
Still not sure if yoga could be your way out of a wandering mind? Perhaps you’re worried your yoga instructor will expect you to assume the stance of the gentleman pictured above.
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