Effect of yoga for cognitive enhancement

Abstract

Preliminary studies suggest that yoga practice may result in improved cognitive performance, among other potential benefits in healthy adults. Twenty participants (20 males) were recruited by contacting instructors of psychology and exercise science classes in addition to recruitment announcements in the fitness centre at Govt. Higher Secondary School Boys, Anantnag. They were then allowed to practice of one 60-minute yoga session per day, 6 days in a week 3 months. The results of this study suggest that a brief yoga program incorporating mindfulness mediation may offer an improvement in WM functioning and enhance attentive mindfulness. The current study adds to the limited amount of research available regarding yoga training as a potential method for cognitive enhancement. Future studies should ideally employ a randomized control trial, incorporating broader neuropsychological batteries to enhance our understanding regarding the strength and extent of the cognitive enhancing effects of yoga. Furthermore, although our group’s baseline cognitive performance was in the normative range, future studies should include samples associated with deficient cognitive functioning and psychopathology.