The January 2020 edition of National Geographic Magazine
says that the ancient practice of Yoga is not only a fitness regimen, but
science shows it is also an antidote to modern stress. Many countries in the world,
which are not blinded by faith and religion, see Yoga as a way to reduce stress
and enhance health. Yoga is getting increasingly popular and there are over a
million videos dedicated to Yoga Youtube.
You can read the entire article here on the National Geographic Magazine 2020 Issue.
Some excerpts
More than 25 years ago, Derke discovered yoga. She was suffering from the searing abdominal pain of Crohn’s disease. Her doctor recommended surgery. Hoping to avoid it, she went to see a cousin who was a yoga master. He taught her the upside-down poses known as inversions. They are said to clear the body of toxins, though there’s no scientific evidence to support the claim. Derke’s symptoms quickly subsided. “Yoga saved my life.
She sees yoga as a way to quiet self-defeating chatter in the mind and quell rage, fear, anguish, and compulsions that drive bad behavior.
An evaluation of the program in three Jacksonville facilities found that after six weeks, participants reported significant improvements in sleep, overall health, and the ability to manage anger and anxiety.
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health found that longtime yoga practitioners don’t display the usual age-related declines in the brain’s gray matter. Yogis also had larger volume in several brain regions, including the hippocampus, critical to memory and emotional regulation, and the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex, involved in attention and self-awareness.