The physical benefits of yoga are well known, but what might it do for the brain? A couple of recent studies suggest that yoga practice can improve cognitive function.
One study in the US looked at an eight-week Hatha yoga programme for older adults (the mean age was 62) and found that, compared to the group that did stretches rather than yoga, they showed improved performance on "measures of working memory capacity and efficiency of mental set shifting and flexibility."
In another study the research group looked at cognitive function in younger females (mean age 20) following yoga or aerobics. They found that "cognitive performance after the yoga exercise bout was significantly superior (ie, shorter reaction times, increased accuracy) as compared with the aerobic and baseline conditions for both inhibition and working memory tasks," as the authors note in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.