All of Yoga

29. What stress is doing to your brain (and how yoga can heal it)

• Episode 29

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Stress isn’t just something you feel, it’s something that rewires your brain. 

In this episode, we’re looking at the science of how chronic stress impacts your memory, focus, and emotional regulation. 

🙌 But here’s the good news: your brain is resilient, and yoga is one of the most powerful tools for healing it. 

You'll learn exactly what’s happening in your brain when you’re stressed and how yoga can reverse the damage, helping you move from survival mode to a state of calm, clarity, and balance.

We cover: 

👉 The surprising ways stress is changing your brain

👉 How yoga activates your brain’s healing mode (backed by neuroscience).

See the show notes here


🧠 FREE MASTERCLASS

Yoga and the Brain, the neuroscience of Stress recovery. In this masterclass, you'll learn the exact mechanisms of how yoga heals your brain and helps you break free from this pervasive stress cycle. Save your spot here 👀


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AOY 29 - What stress is doing to your brain (And how yoga can heal it)

[00:00:00] Welcome to all of Yoga. This podcast explores you guessed it, all of yoga, including the roots and history of yoga. How simple concepts from yoga philosophy can help us live a less stressful life. And how to approach the physical aspect of yoga in a safe and beneficial way. If you are brand new to yoga and wondering what it's all about, or you are an experienced yogi looking to learn more about all of yoga, this podcast is for you.

 

Did you know that chronic stress really affects your brain? Yeah. One of the parts of your brain that's responsible for memory learning and emotional [00:01:00] regulation. Your hippocampus atrophies. It actually gets smaller in times of chronic stress.

And here's the thing, most of us are walking around in a constant state of stress without realising the damage that this stress is doing.

But here's the good news. Your brain is incredibly resilient, and yoga is an incredibly powerful tool for reversing the damage of chronic stress. And today I'm going to tell you how.

Hi, it's Holly and welcome back to the All of Yoga podcast. If you've ever felt like stress is running your life, you are constantly tense, you are forgetful, you are stuck in a loop of overwhelm, you are not alone. You are really not alone. I've been there too. And honestly, it wasn't until I started a regular yoga practice that I even realised it was possible [00:02:00] to feel different.

And because I have this really annoying habit of having to know how and why things work the way that they do, I then started studying neuroscience. 

And let me tell you, I am absolutely blown away by firstly how insidious the effects of stress are. But secondly, how powerful yoga is at reversing these effects. 

So let's take a look at both of these things. In the interest of full disclosure, this episode is really doom and gloom to start with, but I promise you there's a gorgeously bright light at the end of the tunnel.

Pinky promise. 

 What chronic stress does to your brain. 

Okay, so remember, this is doom and gloom to start with, but let's start with what's actually happening in your brain when you are stressed. [00:03:00] 

First of all, imagine that a saber tooth tiger was to walk into the room that you're in at the moment. What would you want to happen to give you the highest possible chance of survival?

You'd want access to all of your energy to fight or to run away- to flight. You'd want your brain to totally focus on getting you out of that situation and not focusing, for example, on that email that you should have sent back to Fred, or what should you have for tea. You'd want your immune system to step up in order to fight a potential infection caused by the tiger.

And the good news is this is exactly what happens. Blood is rerouted into your musculoskeletal muscles to deliver oxygen and glucose, to give your muscles the best possible chance to help you fight or to fight to run away from the tiger. But the bad news is [00:04:00] that, this response is great when there is an end point to the stressor.

And let's face it, if the stressor is a tiger, there's going to be an end point. But think about your stresses, the things that are worrying you at the moment. There probably things like too much work. Financial concerns, worries about friends or family and so on, and these stresses tend to not have a clear endpoint, and this is how we end up with chronic stress.

I did say it was pretty doom and gloom, didn't I?

So when you are in this state of stress, your body releases cortisol, a stress hormone. In small doses, cortisol is fine, right? It's helpful. But when it is constantly flooding your system, it starts to, and this is very scary, damage your brain. Your hippocampus shrinks, which impacts your memory, your learning, [00:05:00] and your emotional regulation.

Plus your amygdala, which is the fear detection system, gets bigger, making you hypervigilant and possibly more fearful, more stressed about things that wouldn't normally bother you. So this is creating quite a powerful vicious cycle. 

Plus, your prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain that keeps you rational and helps you make decisions and stay calm, starts to weaken.

Your brain is being rewired for survival instead of thriving. 

Why yoga is the antidote. This is where yoga comes in. This is our gorgeously bright light at the end of our stress tunnel. Yoga isn't just about stretching or relaxation. It is a science backed tool [00:06:00] for rewiring your brain for long-term health.

When you practice yoga, you are activating the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest mode that counteracts the fight or flight response we talked about before. Yoga reduces cortisol levels. It releases tension stored in your body and it re strengthens your prefrontal cortex, helping you stay calm, focused, and rational, even in times of stress.

Essentially, research has shown that yoga helps shift your brain out of survival, out of fear, and back into balance.

Now, I know this might feel like a lot to take in, but here is the thing, understanding this is just the first step, and there is so much more about the neuroscience of stress that I'm really eager to share with you. But the reality is that the real transformation starts happening when you apply it to your life.

And [00:07:00] that is exactly why I am hosting a free masterclass Yoga and the Brain, the neuroscience of Stress recovery. In this masterclass, you'll learn the exact mechanisms of how yoga heals your brain and helps you break free from this pervasive stress cycle. It's completely free and I would love for you to join me.

Simply head to the show notes to save Your spot. Spaces are limited and I don't want you to miss out. This really is your chance to take control of your stress now and for the future. I can't wait to see you there. And as always, happy practicing.