Yoga for Brain Health: How Mind-Body Practices Can Help with Cognitive Function and Memory

Most people have heard of yoga at some point or another throughout their lives. Many people have even tried it, going so far as to go to a few classes. And a great deal of people out there love yoga and attend classes or practise at home every day. 

Yoga is quite well known as an exercise, and those who enjoy it know that there’s plenty of opportunity to build up a sweat. But what you may not know is that yoga isn’t just good for physical health; it’s even been shown to have some ability to support brain health. This is particularly true in the senior age group, which we’ll go into in more detail. 

Benefits for Cognitive Function and Memory

Yoga has been studied quite extensively for brain health, and several studies have found interesting effects of yoga on the ability of the brain to output tasks and to create and store memories. 

One such study looked into the ability of yoga to increase working memory. This is the ability to hold onto information and access it while working on a task. Working memory might not be a term you’ve come up against before, but if you’ve ever stopped suddenly and wondered what you were doing, or forgotten what you were looking for, then you’ve experienced the powers of working memory.

This study found that working memory was able to be increased (measured in several different ways) through only a brief yoga intervention. After only six sessions, the participants found that they had significantly better working memory function. 

Seniors are also more likely to experience loss of cognitive function, so several studies have explicitly looked at this age group. It was found that a majority (four out of six) showed significant improvement in the cognitive effect of the seniors post-yoga. It’s also important to note here that these studies weren’t regulated in terms of how much yoga or what kinds of yoga was used, so more research is needed to determine the best yoga practices for improving cognition in seniors.

A review of thirteen random control trials (RCTs) found that senior participants realised significant benefits to both cognitive health and mental health. These benefits included improved attention, memory, and cognitive function, while reducing depression.

So, yoga has been studied—fairly extensively—and found to have improved mental and cognitive health by scientific researchers. However, everyone agrees that in order to enhance the benefits gained, we need to have more information around which particular parts of yoga are doing the best work. 

Practical Yoga Tips

If you’ve gotten this far and are thinking that yoga might be a good thing to try but you’re worried about starting off, here are some practical tips and tricks to get you going. 

• Don’t be afraid to use props - Yoga involves a lot of stretching, and sometimes this can be inaccessible for seniors. Try using a chair or cushions to make it more comfortable for you. 
• Alter poses - If you’re struggling with a particular exercise or pose, try changing it up. Either modifying the pose you’re attempting or trying a similar but less challenging pose is a great way to get that exercise without straining or hurting yourself. 
• Go to a class - Yoga can be done at home, but especially for the first few sessions, we’d recommend heading to a class. You can find a group of friends to get inspired with as well as having the knowledge and help of your local yogi. They’re a great resource for modifying yoga for accessibility. 

Mind-Body Connection

We know that yoga has some significant effect on reducing depression in seniors, and this is likely because of the mind-body connection. Physical activities like yoga act as stimulants for the brain, releasing lots of feel-good hormones and letting your brain regulate. 

This helps to create a happier mood as well as maintaining a solid connection between the mind and body. 

Generus Living Group’s Approach 

The Generus Living Group has always taken a holistic and scientific approach to the health of their residents, and the science is pretty clear that yoga is a good intervention for increasing brain cognition.

As a result, the Generus Living Group offers yoga classes at their villages, with a yogi who is well trained to modify exercises and guide seniors through classes, from introductory to expert. 

Conclusion

If you or a loved one are considering holistic and low effort approaches to improve cognition, then yoga is a great one to try. It has not only physical but also mental and cognitive benefits, and is a great way to instil some mindfulness and meditation into your daily routine. 

To learn more about yoga for brain health, or how we can support you on your retirement journey, get in touch with a member of our friendly team. 

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