Yoga for Your Brain

It looks like you can beat brain fog without grabbing a latte or taking a nap—new research from The Journal of Physical Activity and Health found that practising yoga for 20 minutes can have significant improvements on cognitive function.

Participants who stretched it out Hatha-style saw their focus increase immediately following the exercises, as well as their ability to absorb and retain new information. However, participants who took on more intense exercise, such as jogging on a treadmill, were not found to have any significant improvements in performing mental tasks. Researchers believe that yoga’s meditative and breathing-centred exercises may restore mental clarity and reduce distraction in a way that other forms of exercise can’t.

The research suggests that mindful awareness encouraged by doing yoga can translate into better mental performance in our daily lives. As students, employees, parents, and seniors alike can all benefit from improved memory and focus, yoga is a promising practice for all stages of our lifespan.

Got a jam-packed summer schedule? There are simple ways to bring the benefits of yoga into your daily life without dedicating hours to formal classes. Try these tips for incorporating yoga into your daily commute, your jogging schedule, your at-home morning routine, and even at your desk to get your brain up and running—sorry, stretching—to its optimal ability. 

Here at the alive office, we have twice-weekly yoga classes at lunchtime, which leave us feeling stretched and refreshed for the rest of the day—and it looks like we’ve been getting an afternoon brain boost all along! No wonder we’re such a productive bunch.

Do you find your brain feels sharper after a good round of sun salutations? Share your yoga routine with us via Twitter and Facebook, or in the blog comments below.