As a self-proclaimed subtle anatomy junkie, I haven’t left much room in my study plan for the scientific reasoning behind the many yoga benefits. Indeed, my life practice is one of intuition and experiential proof. It’s led through energetic observation and a hefty dose of visualization. Although this path will always be my first love, a recent yoga study opened up a new curiosity within me.

Brain science. 

Specifically, dendritic connections. These are responsible for controlling how we feel about our favorite song or yoga flow, for example. Needless to say, learning about it piqued my interest.

So what happens when science begins to support abstract ideas and inferences that have been spoken about, experienced, and shared by yogis for thousands of years?

Well, I’ll tell you what happens: subtle energy dorks like me get VERY excited!

Now feelings and intuitive conclusions are backed up with the muscle of laboratory research at an ever-increasing rate.

Of course, you scientists are waiting for the evidence, so here are a few mind-blowing but digestible morsels of yoga benefits for brainiacs everywhere.

4 Fantastic And (Now) Proven Yoga Benefits:

Yoga practice has a positive effect on GABA levels and mood.

GABA is one of the most common neurotransmitters in our central nervous system and decreases brain activity (that’s a good thing).

You may be interested in noting that most anxiety medications (benzodiazepines) work by amping up the release of GABA.

Boston University Medical Center came to this conclusion after extensive study. Every yogi for thousands of years has simply called this “quieting of the mind.”

Yoga practice reduces depression and promotes mood stability.

As Rachael Grazioplene of Quilted Science says, “it is maybe intuitively obvious why [yoga] might combat depressive symptoms and promote mood stability.”

But here’s the scientific truth to our intuitive prior knowledge. In a study by the University of Minnesota, there was NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE between two varied stress treatments: yoga and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Yoga benefits include relaxation and peace.

Baroreflex (which helps maintain blood pressure) increases, and heart rate variability is positively affected during asana practice and mantra chanting.

Professor Luciano Bernardi of the Italian University of Pavia compared the benefits of chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum” and “Ave Maria.” Both slow the breath rate to six breaths per minute, turning off the sympathetic nervous system and activating the parasympathetic nervous system more profoundly.

Chant it up! Now, even more so because science says so! If you feel at peace during pranayama or mantra practices, know that your baroreflex levels and your parasympathetic nervous system are on point. Go you!

Yoga practice can help build new habits easier.

Scientific research has proven that with repetitive action comes an increase in the sprouting of dendrites. These dendritic connections bridge old memories to new ones, the brain begins to retrieve more efficiently, and voila! New muscle memory, actions, and reactions are born. 

When your yoga instructor prompts you to embody peace, patience, grace, or compassion, know that your brain is actually helping you turn these qualities into a habit! (Even if you don’t feel that way now.)

Sum up

Maybe it’s the GABA that grabs you. It could be the baroreflex babble or the discourse on dendrites that does it for you.

Heady talk of neurotransmitters and behavioral stability, or mood and parasympathetic nervous systems, aroused little interest in me when I first unrolled a mat 15 years ago. Back then, I did yoga because it felt good. And feeling good was good enough for me (cue the Bobby McGee fans).

I still do yoga because it feels good. Now, I do it armed with a new vocabulary for explaining what “good” means, compliments of brain science and research. If the scientific rap session is too much for you to soak up right now, just stick with it “because it feels good.” Feeling good has been enough for thousands of years and for countless generations of yogis before us. And that’s sure still good enough for me, too.