For the inquisitive yoga student and for non-yogi’s interested in better health, good news comes from afar. Italian and British Neurobiologists are beginning to prove in controlled laboratory settings what yogis have known for centuries: that the regular practice of yoga not only tones and stretches the body, it also calms the mind and protects from stress-related illnesses.

Perhaps even more amazing, gathering evidence points to the possibility that yoga meditation may elicit new neuronal connections (brain pathways) that lead to higher achievements in the areas of analytical, logical, and rational thought. This type of brain development heralds longstanding, measurable increases in alpha-wave brain activity, a wakeful-calm state. Outwardly, alpha-wave activity manifests as unshakable equanimity in the face of distressing stimuli. According to Dr. C. Shah, author of “The Neurophysiology of Meditation”, regular meditation practice results in ‘permanent changes in the nervous system’. Shah posits that meditation acts as a catalyst for the brain to build “new connections and plasticity”. Shah emphasizes that yogis who practice Transcendental Meditation demonstrate remarkable changes in the brain and nervous system. These changes are manifest by five neuro-physiological markers. These markers include slowed heart rate, slowed respiratory rate, slowed metabolic rate, electro-encephalogram alpha wave readings, and increased skin resistance to electrical stimulation (C. Shah, International Forum for Neovedantins).

The benefits of yoga can be yours, regardless of your religious beliefs. Yoga does not ask you to relinquish your faith. Yoga is not a religion, and it does not challenge any religious tradition. In fact, an amazing connection between the Judeo-Christian religions and the discipline of Yoga might surprise you. The online General Medical Journal (GMJ) published a 2001 study called “The effect of rosary prayer and yoga mantras on autonomic cardiovascular rhythms: a comparative study” by Luciano Bernardi etal, Department of Internal Medicine, Pavia Italy. This study traces the origins of the rosary back to India. Bernardi et al explain “the rosary was introduced to Europe by the crusaders, who took it from the Arabs, who took it from the Tibetan monks and the yoga masters of India”. This historical anecdote illuminates the rich interweaving of our seemingly diverse cultures. It also embodies the spirit of the word ‘yoga’, whose Sanskrit root is “yuj meaning to bind, join, attach and yoke… union or Communion”. Bernardi’s sewing of the rosary to the mantra teaches us several things. Foremost, we are all subtly bound to one another, no matter what our faith, country of origin, or color.

Bernardi’s study also speaks to another type of connectivity. This is the connection between spirit, body, and mind. Berardi’s program design compared biological markers in two groups. The first group recited the Ave Maria in Latin. The second group recited the yoga mantra “om-mani-padme-om”. Some of the biological parameters measured before and after prayer vs. mantra included breathing, blood pressure, and cerebral circulation. Both the rosary and mantra are referred to as “rhythmic formulas” thought to “synchronize and reinforce inherent cardiovascular rhythms” (Bernardi etal). Recitation of both the rosary and mantra slowed the respirations to almost exactly 6/minute. The GMJ adds that a slowed heart rate has an overall positive effect on the cardiovascular system and the respiratory functions, especially for those with heart disease.

These benefits are said to arise out of the “synchronization of the respiratory and cardiovascular central rhythms”(GMJ). Looking at the medical use of the word ‘synchronization’ from a yogic perspective, the heart and breath “become one”. This medical unification of heart and breath parallels stages four and five of yoga, Pranayama, and Pratyahara respectively. According to B.K.S. Iyengar these two stages “teach the aspirant to regulate the breathing, and thereby control the mind. This helps to free the senses from the thralldom of the objects of desire”. (Iyengar, Light on Yoga, p21). Waxing poetic, one could say that controlling the breath offers freedom from the heart’s desires, thereby sheparding the heart towards its goal of absolute harmony.