Understanding the mechanism by which certain body postures influence our psychological states is complex, but a study carried out by researchers from the University of London (United Kingdom), the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Poznan (Poland) and the Institute University of Lisbon (Portugal) has managed to extract the many health benefits that the practice of yoga brings.
The experts compared the effect of the tadasana, urdhva hastasana and garudasana yoga poses , finding that performing two simple yoga poses for two minutes resulted in an improvement in subjective feelings of energy and self-esteem in the volunteers compared to the control group ( regardless of their initial levels of self-esteem and satisfaction). Behind this energy boost could be an association with the functioning of the vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the autonomic nervous system responsible for the unconscious functioning of the body such as respiration, circulation and digestion.
In recent decades the number of people who practice yoga has increased exponentially, especially in the West. And it is that there are already multiple scientific evidences that indicate the positive effects of yoga:
Yoga relieves chronic pain: Helps control coronary artery disease, asthma, diabetes, lymphoma, and breast cancer.
Yoga helps people who suffer from mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia.
Yoga improves the psychological well-being of healthy people, increasing life satisfaction and self-esteem, and reducing stress and anxiety.
Yoga reduces fatigue and in turn provides a sense of increased energy.
How do yoga postures affect the body?
According to the authors, these effects may be related to a common mechanism: the functioning of the vagus nerve that connects the brain to the body . From the brain stem, the vagus nerve connects the facial muscles, the heart, the lungs, the digestive tract, the kidneys, and the reproductive organs. It is responsible for the neural regulation of the parts of the body necessary for communication: the larynx, the eyes, the inner ears, and the facial muscles involved in vocal and non-vocal expressions. It also regulates our behavior, as its proper functioning allows us to be calm, relaxed and safe in relation to others. Fortunately, it is also reciprocal: feeling calm, relaxed and sociable also stimulates the vagus nerve.
“Our findings suggest that even a short practice of yoga poses can positively affect the vagus nerve, making us feel more satisfied and happy,” the authors conclude.
Reference. Yoga Poses Increase Subjective Energy and State Self-Esteem in Comparison to ‘Power Poses’. Frontiers in Psychology. May 2017. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00752
