Mental Health and Yoga

Studies have shown that patients with depression are much better off with medication and counseling as well as yoga. Professor Muralidharan Kesavan led the study. 70 patients were enrolled in the study for 3 and a half years. The study examined the patient's experience as well as different parts of the brain in a modern way. After doing yoga, it was found that there is more of a chemical released from the brain, which, when it is low, causes depression.

When exercising, walking, swimming, a special type of hormone 'endorphin' is released. This chemical effect reduces stress, makes you feel relaxed and healthy. Earlier, yoga and exercise were dismissed as helpful in the treatment of mental illness. Now scientific studies have confirmed its role in various mental diseases. But such an experiment should not be done at home by yourself, you should take the advice of an expert.

Using a state-of-the-art machine to study the brains of people who practiced yoga, it was found that unhealthy cells gradually improved. Studies have confirmed that the brains of those who practice yoga remain active and healthy. In the magazine "Old age and mental health", it has been mentioned that different types of meditation have reduced stress and also reduced the problems of depression and anxiety of senior citizens. Massage, music, etc. are also found to help. Yoga creates happy hormones in the brain. Like: Dopamine, Seratonin etc. Deficiency of these chemicals can lead to depression. While yoga is not as fast as exercise, it does play a role in increasing the heart rate and activating the brain.

According to a research conducted in the US, 86 percent of those who practiced yoga daily said that yoga helped reduce stress. Yoga reduces sleep problems. International studies have shown that yoga is important not only for physical activity but also for mobility, balance, cognition, sleep, quality of life, subjective health and psychological health for all age groups.

In our medical science, physical mobility is considered the basis of staying healthy. The World Health Organization recommends 150-300 minutes of dynamic exercise two to three days a week for senior citizens. For physical activity, what could be more useful for the elderly than yoga? Senior citizens like us who are steeped in eternal culture can easily get used to daily yoga practice.

A study was conducted in Kenya on mental health. In which 632 people participated. It has been confirmed in the research that there is a change in the behavior of those with mental problems. Research has shown that yoga can reduce migraines from time to time. Similarly, 60 college students were given yoga sessions 12 weeks before the exam. After that, during the examination, when the blood was tested, it was found that the chemical called 'cortisol' was reduced in the body. High cortisol leads to stress. In a 2021 study, some 84 people with depression were given yoga twice a week for ten weeks, along with medication and counseling. Some were prescribed medication as well as yoga. Those who practiced yoga appeared to be healthier than patients who only received counseling. Such research confirms that yoga plays a role in keeping the human brain healthy.