It’s no secret that Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia don’t just appear out of nowhere. By the time the first signs of significant cognitive decline begin to surface, your brain has already been on a downward decline for years. Even more unsettling, researchers have discovered that individuals with a genetic predisposition towards early-onset Alzheimer’s can start exhibiting predictive brain changes as early as 18 years old.
Aging brains and the potential for prevention
Regardless of whether or not you have a genetic tendency to develop Alzheimer’s, every brain does shrink with age—this is considered part of the “natural” aging process. Studies have shown that this “natural” shrinking process can start incredibly early—sometimes in your mid to late 20s.
However, if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and take care of yourself, this natural aging process doesn’t seem so natural, right? Of course not, but the medical establishment would like you to think so. This way, they can offer you a new drug or expensive treatment instead of a simple, natural solution.
There are numerous ways to slow the brain’s aging and shrinking process, such as eating well, exercising, and taking brain-boosting supplements. But what if one specific practice could significantly stave off cognitive decline while improving your mental and physical health in other areas?
Recent research suggests that yoga might be the key to improving brain health.
Yoga, meditation, and brain health
To investigate the effect of yoga on brain health, researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles studied individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a mental middle ground between normal aging and diagnosable dementia. People with MCI are 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia than those without and experience symptoms such as forgetting appointments or conversations, struggling to make decisions, and having difficulty completing tasks.
Study participants were divided into two groups: One group engaged in memory enhancement training for one hour per week and spent 20 minutes per day performing memory exercises, while the second group participated in a one-hour kundalini yoga class each week and performed 20 minutes of Kirtan Kriya meditation each day.
Three months later, although participants in both groups demonstrated improvement in verbal memory skills (e.g., remembering lists of words and names), only those in the yoga group showed improvement in visual-spatial memory skills (e.g., recalling locations and navigating while walking or driving). Furthermore, yoga participants also reported lower levels of depression and anxiety and had better coping skills and resiliency to stress.
These results are particularly impressive considering that memory enhancement training—such as brain-stimulating activities like crossword puzzles and Sudoku—is currently viewed as the “gold standard” for coping with MCI.
Anecdotal evidence and scientific support
Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that yoga helps to keep the body and brain young and supple. Many yogis in India aged 80 and above still look and behave as though they’ve barely reached middle age. With this in mind, it’s clear that yoga can yield incredible effects when practiced regularly and consistently, and scientific research supports this idea.
While yoga might not be a “cure-all,” its numerous benefits for overall physical, mental, and cognitive health should not be underestimated. If you’re looking for a holistic approach to improving your well-being and staving off the effects of cognitive decline, try incorporating yoga and meditation into your daily routine. You might be surprised at the long-lasting positive effects on your body and mind.
