Yoga for the Brain....and so much more!

From: Kim - Real (& mostly) Balanced Ideas for Real Living

I was recently interviewed on the benefits of yoga for improving or retaining your memory and as it often does, synergy began bringing more wisdom and information on the topic to my attention.  So I thought it might be helpful to share some of the information that has come across my path.

Firstly, feel free to take a listen to my interview on the BioGirl Health Show, which I typically host, but this time around took the hot seat.

Want to lessen chronic pain and acute stress?  Reduce frequency of colds? Improve brain function? or perhaps just engage more with your music?  An article at Yoga Journal shares some of the research that says yoga can help with all of these things.

A study at the University of Illinois compares and contrasts the effects of yoga vs aerobic exercise on boosting brain power.  The folks at the Boston Globe wrote about it.  According to this small study, cognitive performance was enhanced immediately after 20 mins of yoga, but not after 20 mins of running on a treadmill.  The theory is that perhaps the cognitive effects of aerobic exercise are a delayed effect, while the yoga is a short term effect.  There was no study of the lasting cognitive effects of yoga.  Though those of us who practice can tell you they are there :-)

The best way to find out if yoga will work for you, whatever your needs are, is to find a qualified teacher who can help you make the most of your practice and just try it.  :-)

Kim