Yoga for Central nervous system health, heart health and overall vitality

 

There is some  information about the brain that you may not be aware of that is important. First of all the Central Nervous System is the brain and the Spinal cord. Second the brain changes throughout our life, the term for this being- neuroplasticity. Third, we build new neural Pathways throughout our lives and we can actively affect this process!       In recent research I came across the work of Dr. Roger Sperry, (Nobel Prize Recipient for Brain Research)   -let's focus on these two points-

 

• “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine” Dr. Roger Sperry

• “Additionally, Dr. Roger Sperry demonstrated that 90% of the brain’s energy output is used in relating the physical body to gravity. Only 10% has to do with thinking, metabolism, and healing.” 

 

Movement of the spine brings better brain health! These are reasons posture and optimal body Mechanics (particularly spinal alignment) is essential to health and vitality- healthy nutrition for the brain and energy output of the brain!

 There is a saying in Chinese culture- :You will live as long as you can arch your back". This makes good sense when you understand the relationship of nourishment and stimulation to the brain.  

 

Think about this in relation to the Asanas (poses) in yoga, all of which are strengthening and/or stretching the muscles along and within the spine to some degree.  “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine”  Balance poses in Yoga, where you challenge yourself to balance on one foot or one foot one hand etc…90% of the brain’s energy output is used in relating the physical body to gravity.

 

Meditation, Ideally Yoga is moving meditation; quieting the mind. narrowing the focus, controlling the thoughts, and therefore giving the mind a rest or at least the focus (economy) necessary to build new neural pathways. The longer I do yoga the less separation there seems to be of mind/body/brain/heart/energy.  Through continued practice over time all of this becomes integrated and a natural understanding, knowing/ intelligence develops over time.  The brain is throughout the body and the body has it's own intelligence. This is far more than gaining muscle development and knowing the names and mechanics of postures (asanas). It is building new neural pathways, gaining control over the mind and body, it is training the intuition so that eventually the yoga practice begins to be naturalistic, and organic;y evolving. In other words you train till you can practice with mindfulness but very little "thinking". 

  

This is also why Shavasana, is so important, you are resting the brain as well as the body, “90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine” giving the spine time to restore and reset.  Shavasana using blankets and bolsters are often better for people who are injured or elderly or need to improve posture.  In meditation and some restorative yoga this is also true. Conversely, this is not so true the way many of us “relax” seated in chairs that foster poor alignment, watching TV or movies, drinking alcohol, etc… none of this is even approaching the healthy relaxation needed for restoring health of mind and body.

 

Another aspect of the brain is Neuroplasticity

- in this article How Training Changes the Structure of the Brain, Dan Peterson states;   "On the most basic level, learning a new skill or improving a skill involves changes in the brain.  There are a few different ways that our brains adapt to picking up new skills and changing environmental conditions.  The first involves a rewiring of the networks of neurons in the brain.  Each skill or action that an athlete performs involves the activation of neural pathways."

Knowing the brain is very plastic and that each repetition in practice affects the brain brings light on the importance of “mindful daily practice” to ensure that the pathways being laid down in the brain are reinforced with the right neural connections.  This processes being optimum when the mind is quiet.

~ “Do not allow past experiences to be imprinted on your mind. Perform asanas each time with fresh mind and with a fresh approach. If you re repeating what you did before, you are living in the memory, so you are living in the past. ” ~The light on life, B.K.S Iyengar Having a distracted mind, or careless practice isn’t just wasting your time, it can actually be steps backwards from attaining new skill, depth and understanding.This clarifies the abilities of an experienced yogi (daily practice over years) to perform yoga postures as compared to persons who do yoga at 1 or 2 classes a week.

 The other aspect of brain health has to do with the quiet mind. 

Research around the brain activity patterns of experts has been done by Brad Hatfield at the University of Maryland.  His research around expert marksmen... "has shown that their brains are, in fact, ‘quieter’ and more economical than the brains of novices.  In effect, they tune everything else out so thoroughly that only the most essential  brain areas associated with the task are turned on and working.   Novices, on the other hand, exhibited not only more brain activity, but  activity that suggested communication between areas of the brain associated with motor control and areas associated with conscious, cognitive thought and analysis.  Several studies on athletes and clutch performance of skilled tasks have associated a certain type of quiet, focused brain state with successful performance.  In effect, a quiet brain is an expert brain."

Conversely  "It has been theorized that high stakes cause athletes to overthink and become self-conscious about their movements, which in turn causes them to revert back to the rigid movement patterns of a less-experienced performer.  This has been observed in disciplines from rock-climbers to weightlifters to piano players.  The mind can get in the way of the body smoothly carrying out what it  already knows how to do." Dan Peterson

There is also a relationship to the quiet mind and the metabolic/systolic heart rhythms-   

At the Institute of Heart Math http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/introduction.html  research shows "positive emotions create increased harmony and coherence in heart rhythms and improve balance in the nervous system and conversely: disharmony in the nervous system leads to inefficiency and increased stress on the heart and other organs..
The heart  a  complex,  "processing center with its own functional "brain" that communicates with and influences the cranial brain via the nervous system, hormonal system and other pathways. These influences profoundly affect brain function and most of the body’s major organs, and ultimately determine the quality of life." ~Institute of Heart Math