Why does Yoga make you feel so good?
All exercise can boost your mood by lowering levels of stress hormones and increasing the production of feel-good endorphins so why does yoga makes you feel soooo good?
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
What studies have found is that yoga may have additional benefits by elevating levels of a brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), these are associated with better mood and decreased anxiety. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger in your brain. It slows down your brain by blocking specific signals in your central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord). GABA is known for producing a calming effect.
The study concluded to practice Yoga weekly to keep your GABA boost which has a time limited effect.
Other studies have described Yoga as a non-pharmacological alternative to drugs such as benzodiazepines (think Xanax, Valium etc) to treat anxiety by boosting GABA levels. Growing evidence that Yoga, meditation and mindfulness are effective tools to treat anxiety.
With its emphasis on breathing practices and meditation—both of which help calm and centre the mind— it’s hardly surprising that yoga also brings mental benefits, such as reduced anxiety and depression. What may be more surprising is that it actually makes your brain work better. As your emotional reactivity diminishes, you have a more tempered response when faced with stressful situations.
Inversions
Yoga inversion asanas (postures) have been used for centuries for mood stabilisation and to support mental health. Inversion postures can be helpful in relieving headaches, improving sleep, reducing anxiety & depression and helping to regulate hormones by increasing blood flow to the pineal and pituitary glands. Note you do not need to get into headstand to do a Yoga inversion, a downward facing dog is considered an inversion because your heart is above your head and your blood flow is as a result inverted.
When the head is below the heart, we increase oxygen-rich blood flow to the brain. This helps to regulate neurotransmitters, nourish brain cells and also give you a natural yoga glow!
Yoga gives you a sharper brain !
When you do yoga, your brain cells develop new connections, and changes occur in brain structure as well as function, resulting in improved cognitive skills, such as learning and memory.
Yoga strengthens parts of the brain that play a key role in memory, attention, awareness, thought, and language.
Think of it as weightlifting for the brain. 💪🏼🧠
Other Studies have shown that people who regularly did yoga had a thicker cerebral cortex (the area of the brain responsible for information processing) and hippocampus (the area of the brain involved in learning and memory) compared with non practitioners. These areas of the brain typically shrink as you age, but the older yoga practitioners showed less shrinkage than those who did no yoga.