As you wake up each day, the state of your health sets the tone for the rest of your day. If you are suffering from any ailment, it can dampen your day from the onset. This hinders your ability to complete tasks that you set out to do throughout the day. For this reason, it is important for you to always look after your health.

The human brain plays a very important role in your day to day activities. It is responsible for your ability to comprehend, respond, function and perceive different situations. For the brain to perform at its best, it requires contact nourishment and energy. Just the way exercise keeps you physically fit, brain exercise helps to keep your brain at peak performance. Yoga is one of the best ways to exercise your brain. There are numerous yoga poses that are geared towards promoting brain health.

Yoga for Brain: Poses to Increase Your Brain Power

1. The Humming Bee Breathing (Bhramari Pranayama)    

This pose:

• Helps to calm your mind
• Allows for release of negative emotions such as frustration, anger, agitation as well as anxiety
• Improves your memory and concentration span
• Helps to build confidence

How to do it:

With eyes closed, sit up straight. Start listening to your body and focus on the quiet within. Use both index fingers to gently press on the cartilage between your ears and cheeks. Breathe in and press the cartilage as you gently breathe out and hum like a bee.

Repeat.

2. Forward Seated Bend (Paschimottanasana)

This pose:

• Helps in relieving stress
• Helps to stretch the spine
• Helps in mind relaxation

How to do it:

Sit on the floor with your legs completely stretched out in front of you. Straighten your back and flex your toes towards the body.

Raise both arms towards the roof, breathe in and stretch.  Breathe out and bend forward with your chin facing the toes. Ensure your spine remains erect.

Stretch your hands out towards your legs as far as possible.  Breathe in as you slowly lift your head and stretch your spine. Breathe out and move your navel to the direction of the knees.

Return to starting position. Repeat.

3. The Plow Pose (Halasana)

This yoga for brain pose helps to:

• Calm the nervous system
• Improve blood circulation to the brain
• Reduce fatigue and stress
• Stretch the neck and back

How to do it:

• Lie flat on the ground and put your legs together.
• Raise your legs such that they’re at90 degrees angle to the floor
• Firmly ensure your hands are straight and flat on the flow, raise your bottom and try to make your feet touch the area just in front of your head.
• Balancing the weight on your shoulder blades, bring your hands over your head and join your fingers. Hold your head as the elbows remain on the floor.
• Gently return to original position after a few minutes and repeat.

Two rounds of this pose are enough.

4. Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana)

This pose:

• Normalizes and regulates your thyroid function, which improves brain function
• Helps to nourish the brain as it helps to allow more blood flow to the hypothalamus as well as the pineal glands
• Helps to improve your cognitive functions

How to do it:

• Lie flat on the floor with hands straight on the sides.
• Supporting your back with your hands, lift your back, buttocks and legs and put all the weight on your shoulders.
• Bring the elbows close together as you move your hand along the back towards your shoulder blades. Keep the legs straightening as well as the spine by constantly pressing the elbows to the floor and keep the hands in your back.
• All your weight should be on your shoulders as well as the upper arms.
• Keeping the legs firm, lift the heels towards the ceiling and bring the large toe over your nose.  Make the toe point upwards but do not press your neck towards the floor. Instead, you should keep your neck straight with slight tightening of the muscles.
• Breathe deeply and try to maintain this posture for as long as you can.
• Slowly come back to original posture.
• Relax for a while and repeat pose.

5.          Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

This pose:

• Helps to stretch and strengthen the spine and neck.
• Improves blood circulation to your brain
• Relaxes tight muscles
• Calms the nervous system

How to do it:

• Lie flat on your back.
• Fold your knees making sure your feet are hip distant apart. The ankles and knees need to be in a straight line.
• Arms should be on your side with palm facing down.
• Lift your lower back and inhale slowly while you’re at it. Ensure your middle and upper back are on the floor. Roll in your shoulders gently and touch the chin with your chest ensuring the chin remains in the same position. All your weight should be supported by your feet, shoulders and arms.
• Breathe easily as you hold the posture for a few minutes. Exhale and release pose.

Meditation as a Form of Yoga for Brain

Mediation is also an ideal way to maintain the good health of your brain. You get to improve blood flow to the brain, relieve stress and relax. You can purpose to spend 6 hours each week practicing meditation. This can go a long way in changing your brain structure. This improves focus, multitasking skills as well as memory.

According to studies, meditation is related to the development of cerebral cortex that is thicker and more gray matter. These are the parts of the brain that support attention span, memory, learning and decision making.