You may be laughing about this, but according to Andrew Newberg M.D. yawning is the “best-kept secret in neuroscience”
Yawning not only relaxes you, it brings you into a heightened state of cognitive awareness. And because it’s also contagious, it’s one of the easiest tools to learn, practice, and teach others. You may even start yawning yourself just from reading this!!!
Here are 12 Essential Reasons to Yawn
- Stimulates alertness and concentration
- Optimizes brain activity and metabolism
- Improves cognitive function
- Increases memory recall
- Enhances consciousness and introspection
- Lowers stress
- Improves voluntary muscle control
- Enhances athletic skills
- Fine-tunes your sense of time
- Increases empathy and social awareness
- Enhances pleasure and sensuality
- Relaxes every part of your body
Yawn as many times a day as possible: when you wake up, when you’re facing a difficult situation, when you get ready for bed, and whenever you feel angry, stressed, or anxious. Yawn before you meditate or pray, it will intensify your experience.
Try it right now. All you have to do to trigger a deep yawn is to fake it six or seven times, and by the time you get to the last couple a real one will begin to emerge. Your eyes may water, but you will feel more focused and relaxed.
Not bad for something really simple, and that takes less than a minute to do!
So if you want to maintain an optimally healthy brain, start yawning!!!
reference: Andrew Newberg, M.D. Leading Neuroscientist