Although I have been practicing yoga for over four years, I still gain as many benefits from it as I did the first time. From the first session, I repeatedly had the same image in my mind for a month. It was a crying infant opening her arms and asking her mother to hold her; it was the time for a baby to get connected and protected by the primary caregiver. It was the vulnerable time the toddler shows her desperation to be held and soothed.
As an adult, independent woman, I could not believe what I saw. I could not believe the power of yoga that could awaken the most unconscious information of my childhood and reveal my implicit memory in such a vivid manner; it was powerful and amazing. Since then, yoga has been my favourite exercise. Actually, for me it is not an exercise, but an inspirational tool to connect my body, inner self and emotions. It nurtures the integrative processes of my brain. If I have a question and do not know the answer, after going to a yoga class without thinking about it, usually the answer emerges- either during the class or at the end of it. I don’t even have to search and the key point of the answer materializes effortlessly.
According to the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics approach, the development of the brain is from the bottom up and organizes into four hierarchical areas: the brain stem, diencephalon, limbic and neocortex. The brain stem modulates sensory integration; the diencephalon organizes self-regulation; the limbic system governs relational functions, and the neocortex oversees cognitive functions. Yoga practice helps practitioners monitor and focus on breathing (function of brain stem), organize self-regulation through regular breathing (function of diencephalon), and makes relational connections between practitioners’ emotional self and the mirror (function of limbic). I propose that the process of yoga practice establishes connections between our brain stem, diencephalon, and limbic system – three of the four functional domains in the brain. That is a significant practice and that is why it is so powerful and effective for brain integration! Integration is the ultimate function of the brain to leading a harmonious life and maintaining a sense of equilibrium. Yoga basically helps stimulate the growth of the integrative fibers in three areas that are responsible for the integration of the brain.
The benefits I am exploring only relate to healthy neurodevelopment, not even the muscular level, like improving physical fitness and increasing the metabolism by stretching and sweating. With so many benefits, why don’t you consider trying yoga?
References:
Siegel, D. (2012). Pocket guide to interpersonal neurobiology: An integrative handbook of the mind. New York, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
The ChildTrauma Academy. (February 2, 2016). Introduction to Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. Retrieved from: http://cctasp.northwestern.edu/wp-content/uploads/Introduction-to-the-Neurosequential-Model-of-Therapeutics.pdf