Hatha yoga and mindfulness meditation both focus the brain's
conscious processing power on a limited number of targets like breathing and
posing, and also reduce processing of nonessential information. Yoga improves
energy levels and cognitive test performance as well.
Practising Hatha yoga — a combination of asanas, pranayam
and meditation — along with mindfulness meditation daily for just 25 minutes
can significantly improve brain function and energy levels, according to a new
study.
The findings showed that both Hatha yoga or mindfulness
meditation everyday can boost the brain’s executive functions, cognitive
abilities linked to goal-directed behaviour and the ability to control
knee-jerk emotional responses, habitual thinking patterns and actions.
“Hatha yoga and mindfulness meditation both focus the
brain’s conscious processing power on a limited number of targets like
breathing and posing, and also reduce processing of nonessential information,”
said Peter Hall, associate professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario,
Canada.
“These two functions might have some positive carryover
effect in the near-term following the session, such that people are able to
focus more easily on what they choose to attend to in everyday life,” Hall
added. Hatha yoga — one of the most common styles of yoga practiced in Western
countries — involves physical postures and breathing exercises combined with
meditation.
Mindfulness mediation, on the other hand, involves observing
thoughts, emotions and body sensations with openness and acceptance. In the
study, published in the journal Mindfulness, participants completed 25 minutes
each of Hatha yoga, mindfulness meditation, and quiet reading (a control task)
in randomised order.
Mindfulness meditation and Hatha yoga were both found
effective for improving energy levels, but Hatha yoga had significantly more
powerful effects than meditation alone.
Yoga improves energy levels and cognitive test performance, because
it helps the release of endorphins, increase blood flow to the brain, and
reduce focus on ruminative thoughts, explained Kimberley Luu from the varsity.
