If the benefits of yoga on the body are proven and well known to the general public, those it gives our head are less.

"Clinical trials have shown that yoga improves pain by stretching muscles and aligning posture, lowers blood pressure by rebalancing the autonomic nervous system and reduces inflammation by regulating chronic stress." In recent times, yoga is is increasingly seen not only as a way to reduce stress and improve physical fitness, but also to overcome mental suffering, "says Holger Cramer, Research Director, Internal Medicine and Integrative Medicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen, in an article published on May 13, 2018 on The Conversation website .

And to add: "Beyond the spiritual, there is reliable scientific evidence and clear mechanisms by which yoga could help in the case of symptoms of mental disorders."

Demonstrated effectiveness in the management of post-traumatic stress

Among these psychic disorders, Holger Cramer cites in particular post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He explains that this disorder, which results from traumatic episodes (attacks, rape, war ...) and is characterized by signs such as reexperience, avoidance and hyperreactivity, is associated with a brain structure linking memory. from these experiences to emotions. Called amygdala, it consistently produces the various symptoms mentioned when it is over-activated by PTSD.

"By increasing the parasympathetic activity, yoga reduces the effects of stress: it is the relaxation response that could also directly reduce the activity of the amygdala.This seems to be the case especially with yogic breathing methods such as alternating breathing of nostrils, says the researcher.Yoga, including aspects of mindfulness , that is to say, open attention, including emotions or unpleasant memories, is likely to increase the regulation of emotions, far better than avoidance Conscious awareness of the transient nature of his momentary physical, sensory, and emotional experience during yoga practice is supposed to lead to a change in self-assessment, thereby reducing symptoms of PTSD. "

Thus, a meta-analysis carried out on various scientific studies carried out on the subject made it possible to demonstrate the efficiency of yoga on this particular disorder: among various groups - one having participated in yoga classes, one not treated or having received health tips- those who practiced yoga "had a much stronger and clinically significant reduction in their symptoms."

Yogic breathing, a soothing mechanism for the mind

Also observed by the researcher, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), which results in excessive fear or anxiety, and can lead to a significant risk of developing cardiovascular pathologies . In these people, less "conscious" than the average of the general population, "bodywork, breathing and meditation can help by 'controlling the fluctuations' of the mind," he explains. Positive results, but which deserve an update, the studies on the subject being quite old, they do not meet the requirements of modern science.

"It is clear that yoga can help relieve the symptoms of trauma and anxiety, and that breathing exercises are the main mechanism by which it operates," concludes Holger Cramer. It states, however, that people with mental disorders should not practice yoga without first consulting their psychiatrist and psychotherapist.

* Holger Cramer will be speaking all day with other speakers at the "Yoga and Health Symposium" on May 18, 2018 at the Cité des Sciences in Paris.