Yoga makes your brain shrink
It’s no news that yoga strengthens body and mind. Scientists have now discovered that the trend sport makes parts of our brain shrink – and that's a good thing.
Yoga is often belittled. «Yoga isn’t a sport» – that’s something my office colleagues would say to me almost every time when I went to my lunchtime yoga classes. «A bit of meditation, a bit of stretching. That's it.» I couldn’t agree less. But that’s irrelevant now. What I want to talk about is this: Dutch researchers have just found out that yoga makes parts of our brain shrink. What??
Said «Rotterdam Study» included 3,742 participants. Of these, 2,397 participants were observed over five years and the results were documented to see any long-term changes. Regular brain scans were part of the examination.
Haters gonna hate...
If you're laughing up your sleeve now and clapping your hands because you've never liked yoga, I have to disappoint you. The results might sound negative at first, but they're actually not. We haven't talked about which part of the brain is affected. Doing yoga regularly has been shown to decrease the amygdala and hippocampal volume. These brain regions are responsible for negative thoughts and are where emotions such as fear and dislike originate. This result suggests that people who practise yoga have a more positive attitude and are able to cope with stress better than others. If that's the case, it's about time for me to get my dusty yoga mat out again...
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When I’m not exploring the depths of the sea as an open water diver, I enjoy plunging into the world of fashion. On the streets of Paris, Milan and New York is where I keep my eyes peeled for the latest trends. And I’ll show you how to take them from the catwalk to your everyday life.