The near-superhuman way yoga unites mind and body

By Drake Baer, Science of Us

Updated 1931 GMT (0331 HKT) October 19, 2016

Dana Santas, creator of <a href="http://www.radiusyoga.com/" target="_blank">Radius Yoga Conditioning</a>, demonstrates a yoga practice to cultivate a mind-body connection. <br /><br />Sit comfortably on the floor or in a chair with your hands resting on your legs. Slightly bow your head and close your eyes. Taking conscious control of your respiration, begin lengthening and deepening your inhalations and exhalations.
Photos: Yoga to make a mind-body connection
Deep breathing – Dana Santas, creator of Radius Yoga Conditioning, demonstrates a yoga practice to cultivate a mind-body connection.

Sit comfortably on the floor or in a chair with your hands resting on your legs. Slightly bow your head and close your eyes. Taking conscious control of your respiration, begin lengthening and deepening your inhalations and exhalations.
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Start on your hands and knees with your hands slightly forward of your shoulders and your hips above your knees. Turn your toes under and exhale as you lift your knees, engaging your quadriceps (muscles of the front of your legs) to begin straightening your legs while bringing your pelvis up and back to create an A-frame shape with your body. Use your midback muscles to pull your shoulder blades toward your waist, broadening your upper back and lengthening your spine.
Photos: Yoga to make a mind-body connection
Downward dog – Start on your hands and knees with your hands slightly forward of your shoulders and your hips above your knees. Turn your toes under and exhale as you lift your knees, engaging your quadriceps (muscles of the front of your legs) to begin straightening your legs while bringing your pelvis up and back to create an A-frame shape with your body. Use your midback muscles to pull your shoulder blades toward your waist, broadening your upper back and lengthening your spine.
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Keep your knees bent in downward dog as you work on alignment, strength and mobility before attempting the full expression of the pose with straight legs and full shoulder flexion. You can also slowly pedal out your heels, by straightening one leg at a time to ease into the posture.
Photos: Yoga to make a mind-body connection
Modified bent-knee downward dog – Keep your knees bent in downward dog as you work on alignment, strength and mobility before attempting the full expression of the pose with straight legs and full shoulder flexion. You can also slowly pedal out your heels, by straightening one leg at a time to ease into the posture.
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From standing, step your right leg back into a lunge but drop your heel all the way down and point your toes out slightly. Keep your back leg straight with your forward knee flexed to align above your ankle. Lift your arms overhead, shoulder-distance apart, keeping the shoulder blades stable down the back to maintain length in your neck.
Photos: Yoga to make a mind-body connection
Warrior one – From standing, step your right leg back into a lunge but drop your heel all the way down and point your toes out slightly. Keep your back leg straight with your forward knee flexed to align above your ankle. Lift your arms overhead, shoulder-distance apart, keeping the shoulder blades stable down the back to maintain length in your neck.
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From warrior one pose, open your right hip to angle your right foot out to 90 degrees. Maintain the muscular effort from the previous pose to keep your right leg straight and your left knee bent above your ankle. Do not allow the knee to dip inward and come out of alignment with the ankle. Open your upper body to the right as you bring your arms down to shoulder height and out to the sides, aligned over your hips. Reach your right arm back and left arm forward with your palms down.
Photos: Yoga to make a mind-body connection
Warrior two – From warrior one pose, open your right hip to angle your right foot out to 90 degrees. Maintain the muscular effort from the previous pose to keep your right leg straight and your left knee bent above your ankle. Do not allow the knee to dip inward and come out of alignment with the ankle. Open your upper body to the right as you bring your arms down to shoulder height and out to the sides, aligned over your hips. Reach your right arm back and left arm forward with your palms down.
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From warrior two position, inhale as you turn left palm up and sweep your forward arm up and back, creating a significant side stretch and lateral bend. Allow your right hand to slide down the back your right leg while you maintain the current position of your hips/pelvis, legs and feet.
Photos: Yoga to make a mind-body connection
Reverse warrior – From warrior two position, inhale as you turn left palm up and sweep your forward arm up and back, creating a significant side stretch and lateral bend. Allow your right hand to slide down the back your right leg while you maintain the current position of your hips/pelvis, legs and feet.
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Close your eyes and focus your attention at the top your head. Breathe in and out.
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Relaxation – Close your eyes and focus your attention at the top your head. Breathe in and out.
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Story highlights

  • There's anecdotal evidence that yoga practices allow people to do near-superhuman feats
  • Yoga focuses on the breath, "the doorway to the autonomic nervous system"

In the spring of 1970, the Indian yogi Swami Rama wanted to convince Western scientists of the power of yoga, so he submitted himself for study. He arrived at the lab of the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, to meet with Dr. Elmer Green, who pioneered research around biofeedback, or the process of becoming increasingly aware of bodily functions that are usually thought of as involuntary. Rigged up with sensors, on his first day at the clinic, he reportedly changed the temperature of his hand by widening and contracting the arteries in his wrist, leading to a difference of ten degrees Fahrenheit between the left side of his palm -- which looked rosy red -- and the right, which looked ashen gray, as Dr. Timothy McCall notes in his Yoga As Medicine.

Beyond 'Namaste': The benefits of yoga in schools
Beyond 'Namaste': The benefits of yoga in schools