20minutes of YOGA Stimulates Brain Function: 2012

• Researchers from the University of Illinois recruited 30 undergraduate women to participate in a 20-minute yoga session involving seated, standing, and floor postures, as well as a deep breathing and meditative pose at the end. They also walked or jogged on a treadmill for 20 minutes to 60-70 percent maximum heart rate.The results revealed that immediately after doing yoga, the participants showed significant improvement on cognitive tests evaluating their:
  • reaction times
  • accuracy
  • memory
  • retention
• There were no significant improvements from the aerobic exercise directly afterwards.

“It appears that following yoga practice, the participants were better able to focus their mental resources, process information quickly, more accurately and also learn, hold and update pieces of information more effectively than after performing an aerobic exercise bout.” Neha Gothe said. Feb 2012

Source: University of Illinois, 2012

Memory and Attention Improve with YOGA: 2017

• A small study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience in 2017, indicates that regular yoga practice may:
  • Improve memory and
  • Attention while
  • Protecting against cognitive decline.
• Brain images of 21 female yogis aged 60+ showed thicker left prefrontal cortexes compared to a control group.
  • This area usually thins over time leading to impaired memory and attention.
• Women in the study practiced for 8 years and researchers concluded that the longer you practice yoga, the more you protect your brain.
• It’s believed that the concentration required for yoga can be attributed to cognitive preservation.
• Researchers also based their findings on studies on meditation that revealed increased gray matter in the brain leading to improved focus.
• An additional review of studies found that yoga may alter DNA and reduce inflammation having a positive impact on:
  • Stress response,
  • Weight control and
  • Disease prevention.

Source: Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience, 2017

Brain Function in the Older Population: 2014

• Researchers found that practicing hatha yoga three times per week for eight weeks improved sedentary older adults’ performance on cognitive tasks that are relevant to everyday life.
• For the study, researchers collected data from 108 adults between the ages of 55 and 79 years of age, 61 of whom attended hatha yoga classes.
• The others met for the same number and length of sessions and engaged in stretching and toning exercises instead of yoga.

At the end of the eight weeks, the yoga group was speedier and more accurate on tests of information recall, mental flexibility and task-switching than it had been before the intervention.
The stretching-and-toning group saw no significant change in cognitive performance over time.
The differences seen between the groups were not the result of differences in age, gender, social status or other demographic factors, the research team reported.

“Participants in the yoga intervention group showed significant improvements in working memory capacity, which involves continually updating and manipulating information,” researcher Edward McAuley said in a statement. “They were also able to perform the task at hand quickly and accurately, without getting distracted. These mental functions are relevant to our everyday functioning, as we multitask and plan our day-to-day activities.”

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 2014