So after the physical benefits, let’s talk about the Mental Benefits:
With a physical body that is receiving the benefits, so to is one of the most complex of organs- the brain, harvesting our thoughts, emotions and mental activity.
The physical body and the mind work very closely together and are in constant communication.
There are two pathways of communication these two take: organ (body) to brain, which takes a sensory path using the nerves to give knowledge and brain to organ (body), which takes a motor path using the nerves to give order. This means that when our physical bodies begin to feel the benefits of our Yoga practice, so too does the brain and mental activity and vice versa!
When the body starts to feel at home in homeostasis (in balance) the mind too takes on an attitude of peace, tranquility and stillness. The thoughts become less scattered, anxious and worried and more at one and calm leading to an inner peace. The mind doesn’t have to worry as much about how to deal with the uncomfortableness the body is experiencing and all the unhappy messages its receiving, which tends to lead to unwanted stress.
Rather, it can spend it’s energy on giving healthy and productive messages to the body spreading and fueling positive thoughts, leading to a healthy frame of mind and harmonious relationship between brain and body. Here is a short list of many of the mental rewards that are offered though applying Yoga into your daily life:
- Calms the brain
- Reduces anxiety and worry
- Increases energy
- Alleviates stress and fatigue
- Improves brain function
- Strengthens the cerebral cortex, responsible for: thinking, intelligence, perception of space, speech, hearing, vision and balance.
Seeing and feeling how clearly the physical and mental benefits are connected, is the door that begins to opens, shedding light on the great teaching Yoga offers.
That lesson being the true reality and the feeling and knowing of oneness. A little whisper or shout (depending on your experience) from the universe reminding us that ‘it’ and we are all connected.