Every day after you wake up, the health of your body sets the tone for the day. Any ailment in the body can put a damper on your enthusiasm and become a hindrance in performing daily tasks. Many yoga asanas can help you stay physically healthy, but that’s not the only prerequisite for holistic well-being. Your mental health is equally crucial.
Your brain plays a phenomenal role in carrying out daily tasks. Your ability to respond, comprehend, perceive and function well is related to the health of your brain.
Most of us do not realize that like every other organ in the body, the brain needs nourishment and energy every day. Just as exercising keeps the body in good shape, brain exercises do the same for the intelligence powerhouse. Yoga asanas, in particular, aid in the better functioning of the human body.
Yoga asanas and pranayama for an efficient brain
Yoga is a science that harnesses the innate capability of the body to improve its powers and functioning. It can act as an instant cognitive boost. It helps relieve stress, which enhances the operation of the brain. Also, breathing through the left nostril activates the right brain and vice versa. Super brain yoga is a series of simple yoga poses that are becoming increasingly popular among professionals and educators.
Here are some pranayamas and yoga asanas for a more effecient brain:
- Releases negative emotions like anger, agitation, frustration, and anxiety.
- Improves concentration and memory.
- Builds confidence.
Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
- Stretches the spine and helps relieve stress.
- Relaxes the mind by removing negative emotions like irritability and anger.
Learn how to treat
Your mind, body, and emotions with the processes taught in The Art of Living Meditation and Breath workshop. This is your complete healthcare package.
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)
- Strengthens and stretches the neck and spine.
- Relaxes tight muscles.
- Improves blood circulation to the brain.
- Helps calm the brain and the nervous system, thereby reducing anxiety, stress, and depression.
Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
- Regulates and normalizes the functioning of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
- Nourishes the brain as more blood reaches the pineal and hypothalamus glands.
- Helps improve all cognitive functions.
Halasana (Plow Pose)
- Helps improve blood flow to the brain and calm the nervous system.
Stretches the back and neck, reducing stress and fatigue.
How to do Super Brain Yoga
- Stand tall and straight with your arms by your side.
- Lift your left arm and hold your right earlobe with your thumb and index finger. Your thumb should be in front.
- Lift your right arm and hold your left earlobe. Your right arm should be over your left arm.
- Inhale deeply and squat down slowly to a sitting position.
- Stay in this position for 2-3 seconds.
- Gently exhale as you rise again. This completes one cycle.
- You may repeat this cycle about 15 times every day.
Benefits of Super Brain Yoga
Super Brain Yoga activates acupuncture points on the earlobe that stimulate your gray matter. This exercise helps your brain by:
- Synchronizing left and right side of the brain.
- Distributing energy levels and inducing calmness.
- Stimulating thinking capacity.
- Increasing mental energy.
- Making you more creative.
- Developing cognitive powers.
- Improving focus, concentration and memory power.
- Boosting decision-making skills.
- Relieving stress or behavioral problems.
- Making you more psychologically balanced.
This brain exercise is known to help patients with Alzheimer’s, mild depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Down’s syndrome, autism, and dyslexia among others. You could also follow-up this exercise with a session of guided meditation.
Increase brain power with meditation
According to a 2011 study led by a team of Harvard-affiliated researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, participating in an eight-week meditation program makes measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress.
Meditation is associated with the thicker cerebral cortex and more gray matter. These are the parts of the brain linked to memory, attention span, decision-making, and learning. Thus, meditation is a means to increase brain power.
So, yoga asanas, super brain yoga, breathing, and meditation can all stimulate your brain power. Spare some time every day and lead a smarter life!
Practicing Yoga helps develop the body and mind, yet is not a substitute for medicine. It is essential to learn and practice yoga under the supervision of a trained Yoga teacher. In case of any medical condition, practice yoga only after consulting your doctor and a Sri Sri Yoga teacher.
FAQ's for Super Brain Yoga
"Super brain yoga benefits: Recall capacity and attention span improve. Left and right sides of the brain synchronizes thus stimulating thinking ability, creativity, cognition, concentration, decision-making power, and calming the mind. The senior citizen patients are able to have a better memory. Alzheimer’s, ADHD, autism, down’s syndrome, dyslexia are benefitted. "
Like most the asanas super brain yoga is recommended to practice in the morning.
Super brain yoga (Dorbi Karnam technique) involves acupressure, breathing and squatting or sit-ups. Impacts on synchronising both left and right sides of the brain. Thus optimises the capacity of the brain in terms of energy.
It is remarkable that yoga can increase gray matter.
When you regularly practice yoga in which you hold in the pose, deep breathe in the pose, your mind, body and breath are in union. This stimulates the gray matter density and activates the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of the brain.
Yes, yoga increases the gray matter, hence increase the brain power.
Super Brain Yoga (exercises to boost the gray matter) should be done about 15 times everyday.
