Yawning Yoga
Posted by Karma Thai Massage on Oct 29, 2010 in Uncategorized | 0 comments
Yawn for your life!
Have you ever wondered why we yawn? Or why is it “contagious,”? We have been taught from a very young age that yawning is rude, but why? In this article by neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, titled “Yawn: Its one of the best things you can do for your brain”, the author explains the evolutionary reasons behind why we yawn, and he makes a strong point for why we should do it regularly and intentionally.
As Dr. Newberg explains, yawning stimulates an area of the brain called the precuneus. The precuneus is associated with consciousness, self-reflection and memory retrieval. This same area of the brain has recently been linked to the mirror neuron system in the brain, which allows us to relate to the feelings and actions of other people. He thinks that “…yawning should be integrated into exercise and stress reduction programs, cognitive and memory enhancement training, psychotherapy, and contemplative spiritual practice… Yawning may even help us to enhance social awareness, compassion, and effective communication with others. ”
Go ahead and try yawning right now. Open your mouth wide and fake it. Put on your actor’s hat and do your best impersonation of a narcoleptic. Now repeat this performance 5-10 times. Around the 5th fake yawn you should start to feel a big yawn stirring deep within you. Keep faking it until the yawning reflex takes over and your eyes get watery and you feel a great stretch in your throat. If there are others around that’s even better, because as soon as you see someone else yawn your body will feel like joining in. No need to stop at one, keep yawning as long as you feel like. There now don’t you feel better? Keep yawning every time you want to increase mental alertness. If anyone tells you that you are being rude, kindly educate them on the important benefits of yawning in today’s busy world. Then if they still think you are rude, yawn again and say, “Oh, excuse me, I was just stimulating my precuneus,” and leave it at that!