Could the secret to a sharper mind and better memory lie in a practice as ancient as yoga? Recent research suggests that a few simple yoga sessions each week could dramatically improve your mental agility, enhance focus, and even slow cognitive decline. If you’ve ever struggled with the idea of working out, this might be the approachable and effective solution you’ve been seeking. Let’s dive into the science behind why this secret could be your brain’s best ally—and don’t worry, we’ll clear up any concerns about whether this practice conflicts with personal beliefs.
Key Takeaways
- Memory Boost: Practicing yoga three times a week for eight weeks significantly improves memory, focus, and multitasking abilities.
- Stress Reduction: Yoga’s mindfulness and breathing techniques reduce stress and anxiety, contributing to improved cognitive performance.
- Accessible to All: Yoga can be practiced in various forms, with options that focus solely on exercise and mindfulness, avoiding any religious or spiritual overtones.
Reclaim Your Memory with This Simple Practice
While you may know that exercise promotes better brain function, one type of exercise may be especially effective for preserving your memory and thinking ability. I realize “exercise” is a four-letter word for many people, but this type of exercise isn’t very hard work and doesn’t require much of your time. I often find that when people realize exercise will make them smarter, it provides that extra oomph of motivation they need, especially if I can give them an easy way to get moving. The exercise I’m talking about is the meditative practice of yoga. To offset the effects of aging on your intellectual abilities, researchers believe you’ll benefit by doing yoga several times a week. Does it involve some kind of religious practice? I’ll get to that in a moment. First, let’s consider the startling benefits. . .Feel Your Memory Increase
A study at the University of Illinois shows that practicing yoga three times a week for two months or more can boost your ability to remember and deal with the tasks vital to living independently. The research involved about 100 people aged 55 to 79.(1) At the end of eight weeks, the people in the study who took yoga classes could recall information faster and more accurately than people who were merely taught stretching exercises. The yoga students also displayed more mental flexibility and were better at switching among various mental tasks than they had been before taking the classes. The difference between yoga and other types of exercises resides in its focus on mindfulness and focused breathing, which in and of itself helps stimulate the brain. In other words, it gets your mind and body to work together. Yoga entails assuming a series of well-defined postures while you meditate and concentrate on the way you inhale and exhale. “Hatha yoga (yoga with breathing control) requires focused effort in moving through the poses, controlling the body, and breathing at a steady rate,” says researcher Nea Gothe. “It is possible that this focus on one’s body, mind, and breath during yoga practice may have generalized to situations outside of the yoga classes, resulting in an improved ability to sustain attention.” The ability to pay attention to the task at hand goes hand in hand with an increased facility at ignoring the distractions around you, including the chaos of thoughts and worries produced by your own mind. This training at focus and concentration may explain the proven cognitive benefits of yoga. “Participants in the yoga intervention group showed significant improvements in working memory capacity, which involves continually updating and manipulating information,” says researcher Edward McAuley. “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.” Gothe points out that other studies show yoga can improve your mood by easing depression, stress, and anxiety. “These studies suggest that yoga has an immediate quieting effect on the sympathetic nervous system and on the body’s response to stress,” she says. “Since we know that stress and anxiety can affect cognitive performance, the eight-week yoga intervention may have boosted participants’ performance by reducing their stress.”Unlocking the Power of Mindfulness
The yoga study in Illinois adds to a growing volume of research demonstrating that — with a modicum of practice — you can train your mind to “be all it can be,” as those Army recruiting commercials used to say. Research at the University of Utah shows mindfulness techniques (a type of meditation) can help people who suffer chronic pain cut back on opioid painkillers and experience reduced pain.(2) In this study, the mindfulness practice was taught in 15-minute practice sessions daily. Participants did three minutes of mindful breathing before they took their opioid medications (which they were already taking before the study started). Practicing mindfulness resulted in a 63 percent drop in opioid overuse and a 22 percent reduction of impairments caused by pain among the participants. The benefits persisted for three months after the end of the practice sessions. The lesson of this type of research: Don’t take a slowdown of your brain’s abilities lying down (unless that’s one of the yoga positions you are practicing). Practicing mindfulness breathing techniques can actually elevate hormone levels that support memory and focus.Is Yoga a Religion?
What about the religious aspect? Does yoga involve buying into some kind of cult? With most classes and teachers it doesn’t involve believing anything in particular so it doesn’t conflict with any other faith as such. Depending on the teacher and the method, it may involve belief in a vague, undefined supernatural (think of the Force in Star Wars). For other teachers, yoga may be just pure exercise and mindfulness without the baggage of any belief system. But more extreme forms may involve idolizing a guru as some kind of semi-divine being. I dislike this and won’t participate. In short, yoga comes in different shapes and sizes, so you can shop for one that’s right for you. Too often, the guru stuff is a scam, and even when it’s sincere (and it’s hard to say when that’s the case), I want no part of it. If you like it – well, that’s your call. There is no question that the state of mind you achieve may well resemble the state of mind you associate with prayer. This is good – it’s actually the source of many of yoga’s benefits. But if the route to get there involves veneration of something or someone you don’t want to venerate, I think it’s easy enough to find a “non-denominational” form of yoga that will make you comfortable.Summary
Yoga offers more than physical flexibility—it’s a proven method to enhance brain function, memory, and focus. Studies show that practicing yoga just three times a week for eight weeks can improve cognitive abilities like multitasking and attention. The combination of mindfulness, focused breathing, and physical movement helps reduce stress, a key factor in cognitive decline. Accessible in various forms, yoga allows practitioners to enjoy its mental benefits without any required spiritual or religious commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does yoga improve memory and focus?
Yoga combines mindfulness, breathing techniques, and movement to enhance attention, reduce stress, and improve cognitive abilities like multitasking and memory recall.Is yoga a religious practice?
Yoga can be practiced purely as a physical and mental exercise without any spiritual or religious aspects, depending on the class or teacher.How often should I practice yoga to see the benefits?
Research suggests practicing yoga three times a week for eight weeks can lead to significant cognitive improvements.Can yoga help reduce stress and anxiety?
Yes, yoga’s focus on mindfulness and breathing techniques calms the sympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and anxiety levels.Do I need prior experience to start yoga?
No, yoga is accessible for beginners and can be adapted to any fitness level, making it easy to start and maintain a routine.- Gothe NP, Kramer AF, McAuley E. The effects of an 8-week Hatha yoga intervention on executive function in older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2014 Sep;69(9):1109-16. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glu095. Epub 2014 Jul 14. PMID: 25024234; PMCID: PMC4202261.
- Garland EL, Manusov EG, Froeliger B, Kelly A, Williams JM, Howard MO. Mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement for chronic pain and prescription opioid misuse: results from an early-stage randomized controlled trial. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2014 Jun;82(3):448-459. doi: 10.1037/a0035798. Epub 2014 Feb 3. PMID: 24491075; PMCID: PMC4076008.
