Yoga is a mind-body practice that combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. It has been shown to have a number of benefits for physical and mental health, including reducing stress, improving balance and flexibility, and increasing self-awareness.
As there is currently no curative intervention for dementia other forms of therapeutic symptom therapies are required. In a 12 study meta-analysis of the effects of yoga-related mind-body therapies on cognitive function in older adults conducted by (Bhattacharyya, et al., 2021) with 912 participants yoga practitioners showed significant benefits to: memory, executive function (mental skills that help us plan, organize, prioritize and focus,) as well as attention and processing speed. This analysis found no adverse negative effects to participants.
Yoga is a safe body intervention in particular for older adults. It’s an effective alternative therapy for cognitive function and age-related cognitive decline.
If you’re new to Yoga we’ve recorded a short approx. 10min chair yoga practice to get you started on your journey.
Take aways:
- Yoga is an effective practice for maintaining cognitive function
- Yoga is a safe for elder adults
- Yoga can be practiced daily as a routine of body and mind maintenance
Click on the image to watch the video
References
Bhattacharyya, K. K., Andel, R., & Small, B. J. (2021). Effects of yoga-related mind-body therapies on cognitive function in older adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 93, 104319–104319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2020.104319