Khalsa, who took up kundalini yoga in 1971,
told me with excitement that epigenetics and
neuroimaging are revealing how the body and
brain interact—and unraveling the mysteries of
yoga’s power. In other words, the benefits aren’t
just in a devotee’s mind.
Researchers in Norway analyzed blood from 10
volunteers before and after two-hour sessions of
a yoga practice with rhythmic breathing and saw
significantly increased gene activity in circulating
immune cells. Scientists at UCLA studying breast
cancer survivors discovered yoga decreased the
expression of genes involved in inflammation,
believed to be a root of many complex diseases.
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health
found that longtime yoga practitioners don’t
display the usual age-related declines in the
brain’s gray matter. Yogis also had larger volume
in several brain regions, including the hippocam-
pus, critical to memory and emotional regula-
tion, and the precuneus and posterior cingulate
cortex, involved in attention and self-awareness.
Studies like these bring scientific legitimacy,
but they’re not why the ancient discipline has
caught on in a frazzled, fast-paced society. “Yoga
is a strategy for making people basically happy
and able to cope with modern life,” Khalsa said.THIS MAY BE THE MOMENT to admit that yoga
stressed me out. I went on the recommenda-
tion of a physical therapist who had healed my
injured shoulder after others had failed. When134 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC