Day 1
Benefits of Yoga for TBI - LoveYourBrain Yoga for Brain Injury Mini Training
Welcome to Day 1 of our 5-day Yoga for Brain Injury Mini Training!
TBI is often described as a silent epidemic: those with the lived experience of TBI know how devastating it can be, yet public awareness, effective treatments, and ongoing community support all remain at desperately low levels.
What is a TBI? A TBI is caused by an external blow or jolt to the head that damages brain tissue and connections between neurons. All TBIs, including concussion to severe injury, are complex and can lead to long-lasting challenges physically, psychologically, cognitively, and socially.
How can yoga help? There’s growing research showing how yoga’s emphasis on awareness, repetition, and emotional regulation can increase neuroplasticity and directly benefit brain health!
A randomized controlled trial of 29 people with TBI and stroke found statistically significant improvements in mental fatigue among the participants randomized to an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (Johansson et al. 2012).
A study of over 1,500 people with mild, moderate, and severe TBI who completed the six-week LoveYourBrain Yoga program found improvements in quality of life, cognition, positive mood, and resilience (Donnelly et al. 2019).
Today’s prompt is to post a reflection in your feed on the following:
From what we’ve explored here, or based on your own experience, share a few reasons why you think yoga can support healing after brain injury. You can write this in the caption of a photo or you can explain it in a video.
Don’t forget to tag @loveyourbrain, @yoga_international, and use #YogaforTBI all in your caption!
Also be sure to tap the link in our bio for more insight into today’s topic!
Study references:
Johansson et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) improves long-term mental fatigue after stroke or traumatic brain injury. Brain Injury. 2012;26(13-14):1621-8.
Donnelly et al. A retrospective study on the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of LoveYourBrain Yoga for people with traumatic brain injury and caregivers. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2021 Jun;43(12):1764-1775.