Learning

In college, I took a biochemistry based neurobiology class. One of the things that stuck in my mind immediately and continues to interest me is the way your brain responds to learning something new. Your brain will physically reconfigure itself. When you learn new information, the brain builds brand new information bridges connecting specific neurons together. As you learn, the particular neurons involved will fire neurotransmitters across a synaptic cleft and create what is called a synaptic transmission. The more that transmission happens or the more that neurological bridge is traveled, the stronger or more effective that connection becomes. This is one of the neurological reasons repetition can be such a powerful learning tool. Every time we step onto our yoga mat, we have the opportunity to learn something new. It might be a new pose, a new way to flow, or a new way to breathe. It might even be a deeper revelation about your True Self. Yoga also has its own language, its own philosophy, its own books and traditions, and an incredible variety of styles to study and practice. As your brain builds new connections and reinforces them through practice, you grow smarter and stronger not only in your yoga practice but also in your everyday life. That is one of the many gifts of yoga, it is full of endless opportunities to learn and then to practice what you have learned until it becomes part of you, physically and neurologically.