Everything You Need To Know About

Yoga, The Brain & The Health Benefits of Yoga

1. Documentaries & Documentary Short Films

I was pleasantly surprised by the breadth and quality of the documentaries and short films I found on yoga. I wanted to select films that not only discuss the physical practice of yoga, but also that chronicle the spiritual and developmental history of the philosophy and lifestyle. “Yoga Inc.” is the most modern one of the lot, and focuses on the growth of yoga on the business-side of the lifestyle. “Enlighten Up” is your classic, first-person documentary that follows the journey of a yoga skeptic that tries to wholeheartedly embrace the lifestyle of yoga. In short, his journey is a positive one. “Yoga Is: A Transformational Journey” is perhaps my favorite one and covers areas ranging from the psychological influences of yoga to the history of the discipline.

2. Books

There are a ton of books on yoga – a ton. However, I tried to select books that cover — specifically — the related fields of yoga poses/exercises, meditative breathing, and how these two activities influence the brain. Several of these books do provide steps for beginners on how to start yoga, including instructional chapters on how to build a posing routine, to how to practice the arguably more important activity of breathing deeply and mindfully. “The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation” and “30 Essential Yoga Poses: For Beginning Students and Their Teachers” pair well together and cover these topics. “A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master’s Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing” by Max Strom is also a terrific book from the perspective of someone who’s life was changed by yoga.

3. Talks & Interviews with Industry Leaders, Researchers, Medical Experts & Yogis

There is a wonderful selection of talks, lectures and interviews on YouTube with practiced yogis, medical experts, and academic researchers about the discipline of yoga. The two videos by Purple Valley Ashtanga Yoga are more explanatory in nature and provide you with a solid step-by-step guide that describes how you may begin practicing yoga, and what has worked for them in the classes they teach. Consciousness – The Final Frontier and Journey of Self are fascinating videos on how yoga has transcendental effects on one’s mind and sense of self. The former is a TEDx Talk, while the latter is a academic lecture. Yoga Is was also rather eye-opening for me, as the speaker tells an impactful story of how yoga changed her life for the better and healed emotional wounds.

4. Peer-Reviewed Articles & Research Reports

I had a good deal of fun going through these research articles. The actual searching bit was a bit challenging, but, nevertheless, I’m again very happy with what I found and can now share with you. The below research articles discuss everything from how yoga stretching has the potential to benefit your spine, posture and muscular circulation, to how the breathing and meditative exercises in yoga have positive effects on your brain, stress levels, and overall mood. The Health Benefits of Yoga and Exercise: A Review of Comparison Studies is a fascinating and comprehensive study on the benefits of the movements of yoga. Effects of Yoga on The Autonomic Nervous System, Gamma-Aminobutyric-Acid, and Allostasis in Epilepsy, Depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mouthful to say, but incredibly thought-provoking, as it details the many benefits of how yoga can reduce stress and improve your mood and outlook.

5. Blog Articles & News Reports

Similarly, I found a ton of blog articles on yoga, but, unfortunately, at least in my opinion, they didn’t detail how the practice of yoga relates to one’s own emotional health and brain activity. Nonetheless, I was able to find a handful of articles that met my criteria. Supreme Yogic Breath for Brain Development & Mind Control and Kriya Yoga Changes Your Brain Cells cover how the breathing exercises in yoga alter the grey matter in your brain and help to improve cognitive functions. The Science of Yoga and Why It Works also involves this topic, but includes a bit more about the many other influences of yoga. Lastly, if you get stressed easily like me, I recommend giving this article a read, Yoga: Changing The Brain’s Stressful Habits.

Hey people! My name is Jake. I’m the Co-Founder of Agreeable & Co. I’m an Environmentalist, Social Entrepreneur, Writer and Developer. Besides making people- and planet-friendly products more accessible through Agreeable & Co., I run an online research guide for sustainable, ethical, and healthy products, called Greener Square (which is slowly transitioning to Agreeable & Co.); and helped to start an award-winning trade and barter app, called TradeMade, that measures and tracks one’s carbon footprint. I also recently graduated from New York University, where I studied corporate sustainability, environmental ethics, and ecological science. In a word, conscious consumption and overall healthy, low-impact living is my jam. I also like jam.

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