Yoga For Brain Health: What The Studies Suggest About Memory And Ageing
Yoga for brain health: the short version
Does yoga keep your memory sharp as you get older? Researchers have started to ask, and the early answer is “maybe, and we need better studies”. A 2021 review found that four of six studies in healthy people over 60 reported better thinking after a yoga program. Brain scans have also shown differences in people who practise yoga. Here is what that means for yoga for brain health, and what it does not.
This note in short form
- Reviews of trials: small and mixed, with some benefit for memory and thinking, and a high risk of bias.
- Brain scans: experienced practitioners show differences, but scans cannot show cause.
- Not shown: that yoga prevents dementia or makes your brain bigger.
- Why it might help: attention and lower stress are the ideas being studied.
- Safety: no significant harm was reported in the trials we read.
- Next step: try a class in the studio or LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new.
Back to our Brain and Ageing notes.
What have reviews of trials found about yoga and memory?
A 2021 systematic review in Complementary Therapies in Medicine (Hoy and colleagues) looked at yoga programs for healthy adults aged 60 and over. It found six studies from five trials. Four of the six reported significant positive effects on cognition (thinking skills), including general memory and executive function (planning and mental flexibility).
The authors also found a high overall risk of bias in all the studies, and the programs varied a lot. They called for larger, better-designed trials with long follow-up. So the review is a hopeful sign, and it is early.
A 2018 review (Zhang and colleagues, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health) pooled 19 trials with 2,539 people aged 60 and over. It looked at mind-body exercise, a wider group than yoga alone. The mind-body groups did better than controls on global thinking, memory and learning, and no significant adverse events were reported. The authors said more evidence is still needed.
That is the research rung of the ladder. Reviews like these cannot say that yoga prevents dementia, and they do not say that.
Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend (Upavistha Konasana) with the forehead on a block. Slow, supported poses ask for steady attention, which is one idea researchers are testing.
What do brain scan studies show?
Two scan studies get quoted a lot, and both compared practitioners with people who did not practise. A comparison like that cannot show that yoga caused the difference. People who choose yoga may differ in other ways.
In 2017 (Afonso and colleagues, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience) researchers scanned 21 older women who had practised hatha yoga for at least eight years and 21 women who had not done yoga or meditation. The two groups were matched for age, education and activity. The yoga group had thicker cortex (the brain’s outer layer) in one area at the front of the left brain. The published summary does not report any memory or thinking tests, so the study cannot say that a thicker area meant better memory.
A 2015 study (Villemure and colleagues, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience) compared yoga practitioners with controls. The controls showed the usual drop in grey matter (brain tissue) with age, and the practitioners did not. More weekly hours of practice went with more volume in areas including the hippocampus (a memory centre). The authors suggest yoga may be neuroprotective (protective of the brain). Their findings are a link, not proof.
Why might yoga help the brain? (still being studied)
Two ideas come up. The first is attention. The authors of the cortical thickness study describe yoga as an activity that requires attentional engagement (keeping your attention on what you are doing). The second is stress. A 2017 review of 42 trials linked yoga programs to lower cortisol, the stress hormone, and our note on yoga and hormones covers it. Our note on yoga for sleep covers sleep, which also matters for thinking.
Whether these explain any brain effect is still being studied. Not yet tested is not the same as wrong, but it is not proven either.
Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree.
What do students notice in an Iyengar class?
In an Iyengar class the teacher gives detailed instructions, and you are asked to keep track of several actions at once. Which way does the back foot turn, where do the shoulders sit, how long is the breath? That steady attention is the same ingredient the researchers point to, so it is a fair place to be curious. What you notice in yourself is your own experience, not a trial result.
Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana I). Back foot, back leg, front knee, arms: several actions at once, which keeps the attention busy.
Sitting quietly with the breath. Slow, steady practice is one of the ideas researchers are studying.
What about foggy thinking after menopause?
That is a separate question, and we answer it elsewhere. Our post on fuzzy thinking after menopause looks at it, and our note on yoga for menopause covers the wider picture.
Who should check first?
Yoga is not a test or a treatment for memory loss. If you are worried about your memory, see your doctor. Talk to your yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and your doctor if you wish, if you have glaucoma, high blood pressure that is not under control, balance problems or a neck condition. Poses can be changed with props and a chair. If you feel pain, numbness or dizziness, come out and rest.
Practise this at Flametree
Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree. New students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can also get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. We teach in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. For the studio, just come along. For an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.
- Beginners: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
- Not a beginner: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
- The timetable, including online classes
Questions people ask about yoga for brain health
Can yoga improve memory?
Possibly. A 2021 review found that four of six studies in healthy people over 60 reported better thinking, including general memory. All the studies had a high risk of bias, so the authors asked for better trials.
Does yoga protect against dementia?
Research has not shown that. The studies we read measured thinking tests or brain scans in healthy older people, not dementia. If you are worried about your memory, talk to your doctor.
Does yoga make your brain bigger?
Not in a way that has been proven. In scan studies, experienced practitioners showed thicker cortex in one area and less age-related loss of grey matter than controls. Those studies compared groups, so they cannot show that yoga caused it.
How long do you have to practise to see a brain effect?
Nobody knows. The cortical thickness study looked at women who had practised for at least eight years. The trial reviews did not set a minimum, and the programs varied a lot.
Is yoga good for concentration and memory?
The research is early. Yoga does ask for steady attention, and that is one reason researchers are studying it. What you notice in yourself is your own experience.
What is the best yoga for brain health?
The studies do not compare styles, so nobody can say. Most programs combined postures, breathing and meditation. We teach Iyengar yoga, which asks for careful attention to detail.
Is it safe for older adults to start yoga?
Generally yes, with a teacher and props. The 2018 review of 19 trials reported no significant adverse events. Tell your teacher about any health condition, and use a chair or wall if balance is a worry.
Where can I learn yoga for brain health in Darwin?
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. Props and a chair are used, so older beginners are welcome. Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree.
Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin NT, teaching Iyengar yoga in the studio and LIVE online. This note is general information, not medical advice.
Sources
- Hoy S, Östh J, Pascoe M, Kandola A, Hallgren M. Effects of yoga-based interventions on cognitive function in healthy older adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2021. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102690
- Zhang and others. The effects of mind-body exercise on cognitive performance in elderly: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2018. doi:10.3390/ijerph15122791
- Afonso RF and others. Greater cortical thickness in elderly female yoga practitioners: a cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2017. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2017.00201
- Villemure C, Čeko M, Cotton VA, Bushnell MC. Neuroprotective effects of yoga practice: age-, experience-, and frequency-dependent plasticity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2015. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00281
- Pascoe MC, Thompson DR, Ski CF. Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: a meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2017. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.008
