What yoga does to your body and brain – Krishna Sudhir

Yoga can actually prevent or reverse the effects of chronic pain on the brain, according to the National Institutes of Health. In fact, depressed individuals may have reduced gray matter in the brain as the result of chronic pain.

Gray matter is located in the cerebral cortex and subcortical areas of the brain. Decreased gray matter can lead to memory impairment, emotional problems, poorer pain tolerance and decreased cognitive functioning.

But yoga and meditation have the opposite effect on the brain as chronic pain. And get this: People who regularly practice yoga have more robust levels of gray matter in their brains in areas involved with pain modulation. This means yoga could be an effective remedy for certain types of depression — and one of the top natural painkillers you can count on.

Yoga could be the most important form of exercise to combat anxiety, thanks to its unique breathing, meditative and stretching exercises rolled into one practice. While there are many different forms of yoga, I encourage you to start out with gentle yoga and experiment to find the type that works best for you.

Medical research tells us that yoga changes your brain in wonderful ways. These include flooding the brain with calming GABA and bulking up gray matter in areas of the brain that make us able to tolerate pain. This is crucial for those living with chronic pain. Too many doctors are too quick to prescribe painkillers. Instead, give yoga a try. Your brain will thank you.

How Yoga Changes Your Brain (It’s a Good Thing!)