What’s This Research About? Mind-body practices, such as yoga, have been proposed as a possible treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) due to the fact that the practices focus on reducing the feeling of worry by fostering mindfulness and decreasing physical symptoms of stress. The goal of this study was to examine [...]
What’s This Research About? The scientific field of exercise science has extensively examined the effect of aerobic exercise on cognition and decision making, but far fewer studies have been conducted looking at the effects of yoga on the brain. This is the first study to investigate the anatomical and functional brain differences [...]
What’s This Research About? Ever wondered why yoga and meditation make you feel calm and relaxed? It may be due to your breath and an important nerve called the vagus nerve. Many scientific studies have described the numerous benefits felt from practicing yoga and meditation such as increased physical health, mental health [...]
What’s This Research About? Previous research has shown that yoga and exercise both have beneficial effects on mood and anxiety. It has also been shown that certain neurotransmitter activity, γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), is decreased in mood and anxiety disorders. Researchers wanted to test if practicing yoga is associated with increased brain GABA [...]
What’s This Research About? Does a consistent yoga practice contribute to changing brain anatomy? This study examines differences in brain anatomy between experienced yoga practitioners and control subjects using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Researchers also examined which aspects of a weekly yoga practice (postures, breath control and meditation) contributed most to [...]
What’s This Research About? This study examines differences in brain activity between novice and expert meditators using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Their goals were to determine: 1) If meditation causes an increase or decrease in brain activity in regions associated with attention. 2) If experienced meditators have greater attentional control over [...]