In this monthly dose we take a look at the glymphatic system, the waste clearance system for the brain. I’ll discuss what it is, how it works and some general yoga practices that can support this system to be more resilient and help prevent neurodegenerative disease. This is a new and quickly growing field of research so there is still a ton to learn but there are plenty of ways to support this system with the information we have now. Below are some classes that embody these concepts, though with this understanding you will find many more options on our platform as well. I hope you enjoy this one that is close to my heart! Let me know in the comments below.

Yoga for Brain Health References:

• Inspiration Is the Major Regulator of Human CSF Flow (2015)
• Respiratory influence on cerebrospinal fluid flow (2019)
• Spinal CSF flow in response to forced thoracic and abdominal respiration (2019)
• Physical Exercise at Midlife and Risk of Dementia Three Decades Later (2008)
• Voluntary Exercise Promotes Glymphatic Clearance of Amyloid Beta and Reduces the Activation of Astrocytes and Microglia in Aged Mice (2017)
• Identification of the Upward Movement of Human CSF In Vivo and its Relation to the Brain Venous System (2017)
• Characterization of cardiac- and respiratory-driven cerebrospinal fluid motion based on asynchronous phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging in volunteers (2017)
• Voluntary running enhances glymphatic influx in awake behaving, young mice (2018)
• Immediate impact of yogic breathing on pulsatile cerebrospinal fluid dynamics (2022)
• Clinically derived vagus nerve stimulation enhances cerebrospinal fluid penetrance (2020)