Boost Your Brain Power, Yoga May Be the Key

According to a new study, 20 minutes of Yoga may be all you need for a quick boost in brain power.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign looked at 30 subjects that took tests involving working memory and inhibitory control, measures of brain function associated with the ability to focus, retain and use new information.

According to the study, subjects who were given a single, 20-minute yoga session were significantly faster and more accurate on their tests than those who walked or jogged on treadmills for a period of 20 minutes.

Participants who exercised on a treadmill were asked to meet 60 to 70 percent of their maximum heart rate through the session. "This range was chosen to replicate previous findings that have shown improved cognitive performance in response to this intensity," the researchers noted, according to the study.

"Yoga is an ancient Indian science and way of life that includes not only physical movements and postures but also regulated breathing and meditation," lead study author Neha Gothe added, according to the study. "The practice involves an active attentional or mindfulness component but its potential benefits have not been thoroughly explored."

The participants involved in yoga performed a 20-minute sequence of seated, standing and supine yoga postures, with the class ending in meditative posture and deep breathing.

"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," Gothe said.

"The breathing and meditative exercises aim at calming the mind and body and keeping distracting thoughts away while you focus on your body, posture or breath," she said. "Maybe these processes translate beyond yoga practice when you try to perform mental tasks or day-to-day activities."

Findings, announced June 5, appear in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.