Or really, anything stress busting. The brain directly affects the gut, and vice versa. The communication that occurs between the two systems is called the gut-brain axis. Since the two are linked, the health of one influences the health of the other. “The brain talks to the gut, and the gut talks to the brain,” Ghannoun explains. That means stress can wreak havoc on your mycobiome, and reducing it can improve the balance of healthy bacteria and fungus in your gut, he says. He suggests yoga because it has the added benefit of improving sleep quality, which has also been tied to gut fungi and bacteria balance. But anything that makes you feel less stressed will help.