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20-minute yoga session could boost brain function immediately

New Delhi, Thu, 06 Jun 2013 NI Wire

A recent study headed by an Indian researcher has revealed that a 20-minute session of Hatha yoga can stimulate the speed and accuracy significantly on tests of working memory and inhibitory control, two measures of brain function related with the ability to maintain focus and take in, retain and use new information.

The participants of the research performed significantly better immediately after the yoga session in comparison to their performance after moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise for the same amount of time.

The research used 30 study subjects who were young, female, undergraduate students.

'Yoga is an ancient Indian science and way of life that includes not only physical movements and postures but also regulated breathing and meditation,' Neha Gothe, who led the study while a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said.

Gothe is currently a professor of kinesiology, health and sport studies at Wayne State University in Detroit.

The research involved a 20-minute yoga progression of seated, standing and supine yoga postures, which included isometric contraction and relaxation of different muscle groups and regulated breathing.

Finally, the yoga session ended with a meditative posture and deep breathing.

Moreover, the participants also took part in an aerobic exercise session that included walking or jogging on a treadmill for 20 minutes.

Each participant worked out at a specific speed and incline of the treadmill, with an objective to maintain 60 to 70 percent of her maximum heart rate throughout the exercise session.

Gothe and her colleagues were surprised to see the results that subjects showed significant enhancements in their reaction times and accuracy on cognitive tasks after completing yoga practice than after the aerobic exercise session, which showed no such improvements on the working memory and inhibitory control scores.

The detail of the findings is published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.

-With inputs from ANI

To Know more about Hatha Yoga: Click here

To Know more about Yoga: Click here

Watch video to learn Surya Namaskar: One of the best Yoga Practices


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