Yoga is superior to all other forms of exercise during pregnancy (hands down).

If you came to any of my teacher workshops at the Yoga Conference last weekend I provided you with a TON of studies on yoga and its benefits to absolutely everyone. (Luckily there are hundreds of studies and I have spent weeks compiling them.) There are still lot's that I didn't include (on prenatal yoga specifically) and here are just a couple:  

our yoga room at mount pleasant. 

A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that doing yoga while pregnant increased the odds of a healthy delivery. The 335 women studied added a yoga class during their second trimester; the result was higher birth weights and lower pregnancy-induced hypertension compared to non-yoga-practicing participants. 

*Also Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that yoga is superior to other forms of exercise in its positive effect on mood and anxiety.

Did you know that yoga actually makes your brain more flexible as well as your body?

I think we all know by now thanks to fMRI's etc. that we can continue to mold and change our brains as we age and there's not much better news than that!

There has just been so much research on the plasticity "changeability" of the brain in recent years and there is absolutely no denying it. It is just so thrilling that we can continue to expand pathways in our brain, and adapt and learn as we age. And many folks are living sooo much longer these days (interestingly, I just read that there are "48,000" centenarians living in the United States alone right now surprisingly).

And although none of us knows how long we are going to live I do know one thing for sure... as long as I live I really hope and pray I can take care of myself and "think" up until the end whenever that may be.

Yoga is brilliant in so many ways:

Did you know that stem cells that form new neurons in the brain come from the bone? (the marrow of our bones)

When we practice yoga we are "literally" creating the stem cells that form new neurons in our brains. We are stimulating the brain to grow so we can have more available pathways.

Its truly fascinating, and too amazing for words.

And combine that with all the other brain benefits of meditation? Its just so incredibly huge. (Almost too much to wrap my brain around haha)

So remember, even if/when we're elderly our brains can keep rewiring themselves protecting against cognitive decline both structurally AND functionally, and thats wonderful news!

See you on the mat friends! Namaste.