Yoga has long been celebrated for its physical benefits, but did you know that it’s also a powerhouse for your brain?  Across the globe, people of all ages and experience levels are turning to yoga—not only for its ability to increase flexibility and strength but also for its remarkable impact on mental well-being.  This ancient practice isn’t just about stretching; it’s about calming the mind, reducing stress, and enhancing cognitive function.  While the immediate benefits of yoga, like relaxation and focus, are well-known, the long-term impact on brain health is where the real magic happens.  Studies have shown that yoga can slow down cognitive decline and prevent neurodegenerative disease, even for those at risk of Alzheimer’s.​¹  Whether you’re looking to improve your mood, boost memory, or stave off cognitive decline, yoga has the potential to transform not just your body, but your brain as well.   

Ready to discover how this ancient practice can revolutionize your brain health?  Let’s dive in. 

Yoga 101: What You Need to Know 

Yoga’s origins date back more than 2,000 years to ancient India, with its foundational term yug, meaning ‘to unite’.  This reflects the practice’s core purpose: to unify the mind, body, and spirit in a harmonious balance.  Throughout its history, yoga has evolved into a multifaceted practice, with different styles and approaches emerging across the world. Today, it is most understood as a combination of three core pieces of practice: physical postures, breathwork, and meditation.​² 

The practice involves mindful movement and breath, which helps cultivate a deep sense of awareness and presence.  Whether you’re engaging in gentle stretches, calming meditation, or intense power flows, yoga can suit any level of experience and any age group. Through its adaptability and effectiveness, yoga has become a global practice embraced by millions of people seeking balance and wellness in their lives.  

Lately, yoga has gained significant attention in the brain health space for its impressive effects, which we’ll explore next. 

How Yoga Enhances Brain Function: The Science Explained 

When you think of yoga, relaxation, the calming "namaste," and a deeper connection with yourself might come to mind.  However, beyond the peaceful moments of stretching and breathing, there's a lot happening in the background of your mind.  As you flow through poses and sync your breath with movement, yoga is working to enhance your brain health in subtle yet powerful ways.  Even after just a few classes, you'll likely notice improvements in mood, stress levels, and even sleep quality.  Now, let's explore the science that explains why these positive changes happen. 

Elevated Mood: If you've ever taken a yoga class, you're probably familiar with that sense of serenity that washes over you once you finish your practice.  Research shows that yoga increases the release of dopamine, serotonin, and GABA, neurotransmitters that are essential for regulating mood and reducing feelings of anxiety and depression.³​​  The practice also helps balance the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which controls the body's stress response. Through these mechanisms, yoga has been shown to improve mood more effectively than other activities, even outpacing walking interventions in boosting GABA levels.​⁴  So if you’re searching for a natural mood lift, yoga's breath-focused movement might just be the perfect way to rejuvenate your spirit. 

Reduced Stress and Anxiety: When stress takes over, cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, floods your system.  While cortisol is helpful in short bursts, chronic elevation of this hormone due to ongoing stress can have serious consequences, including an increased risk of cognitive decline.​⁵​  Yoga offers an effective way to combat stress by reducing cortisol levels.  It works by influencing the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, and the HPA system.  Through regular practice, yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety.  In addition to lowering cortisol, yoga has been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability, all contributing to a calmer state of mind and body.​⁶   

But there’s another surprising benefit yoga has on stress, teaching individuals to tolerate stress rather than avoid it, helping them manage daily stressors and foster mindfulness in everyday life.​⁷  Don’t just reduce your stress—learn how to face it head-on with the calm and focus yoga can bring into your life. 

Deeper, More Restorative Sleep: As you may know, your mood and stress levels directly affect your sleep quality, and the two previous points we discussed all tie into how yoga can improve your sleep.  But it goes beyond wit research showing that yoga also reduces nighttime awakenings, allowing you to enjoy more restful sleep.​⁸  Yoga works by lowering cortisol levels, as we’ve mentioned, and boosting melatonin production, which helps regulate sleep cycles.​⁹  So, while yoga works to boost the "feel-good" chemicals in your body for an improved mood, and helps reduce stress, you'll find that your brain is primed for rest.  With less stress and a more balanced mood, you’ll be able to rest your head on your pillow and drift into sleep more easily. 

Yoga’s impact on mood, stress, and sleep are undeniable. But yoga doesn’t stop there.  It directly impacts the structure of your brain in ways that go beyond just mental well-being.  From increasing brain volume in key areas to reducing inflammation, yoga provides remarkable benefits that extend to the very foundation of your brain’s health.   

Up next, let’s uncover how yoga affects your brain’s architecture and its impact on long-term health. 

Increasing Hippocampus Size: Yoga has a remarkable impact on the hippocampus, a critical brain region involved in learning and memory.  Research shows that regular yoga practice can increase hippocampal volume, which is often diminished by age-related neurodegenerative diseases and chronic stress.  This aligns with findings from studies on both aerobic exercise and mindfulness, suggesting that yoga's combination of physical movement and mental focus offers powerful benefits for this essential brain structure.​¹⁰​ 

Reducing Inflammation: Yoga has shown the ability to modulate the body's inflammatory response by balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.​¹¹ Studies highlight that yoga can reduce markers of inflammation, while increasing anti-inflammatory markers.​¹²​  This suggests that yoga helps shift the body away from a state prone to chronic inflammation, promoting a more balanced immune response. 

Enhancing Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF): Yoga and meditation practices have been shown to significantly increase levels of BDNF, a crucial protein that supports brain health.  BDNF promotes the survival of neurons, encourages the growth of new neural connections, and plays a vital role in neurogenesis, learning, memory, and emotional well-being.  Studies report up to a three-fold increase in circulating BDNF after consistent yoga practices.​¹²​ 

Improving Default Mode Network Function: Yoga has a unique impact on the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN)—a network involved in memory, self-reflection, and emotional processing.   The DMN becomes less active during tasks that require focus, and its connectivity tends to weaken with age, contributing to cognitive decline.  However, regular yoga practice, which emphasizes focused attention through poses, breathing, and meditation, can strengthen DMN connectivity, improving memory recall.²

Now that you understand why yoga is such a powerful tool for maintaining a strong, resilient brain and combating cognitive decline, let’s dive into the specific styles of yoga you can try to reap these incredible benefits.  

Yoga for the Brain: Styles That Make a Difference 

Vinyasa Yoga 

Vinyasa yoga is a dynamic style that links breath with movement, flowing seamlessly from one pose to the next.  Classes typically begin with warm up poses and progress to more challenging sequences.  You’ll focus on building strength, flexibility, and endurance through continuous movement. 

Brain Benefits 

Boosts Neuroplasticity: The coordination required for linking breath to movement stimulates neural connections and enhances cognitive flexibility. 

Reduces Stress: The rhythmic flow calms the nervous system and lowers cortisol levels. 

Improves Focus: Concentrating on fluid transitions between poses sharpens mental clarity and attentional control. 

Hatha Yoga 

Hatha yoga is a slower-paced style that emphasizes holding poses for longer durations while focusing on alignment and breathwork.  It’s an excellent practice for beginners or those looking for a more meditative experience. 

Brain Benefits 

Enhances Mindfulness: The slower pace encourages awareness of the body and breath, fostering present-moment focus. 

Lowers Cortisol: Gentle postures and breathing exercises help reduce stress hormones. 

Improves Sleep: Its relaxing nature may promote melatonin production and better sleep cycles. 

Kundalini Yoga 

Kundalini yoga combines dynamic movements, breathwork (pranayama), chanting, and meditation to activate energy flow through the spine.  A typical session involves kriyas—specific sets of exercises designed to achieve a particular outcome, such as stress reduction or mental clarity. 

Brain Benefits 

Stimulates the Default Mode Network (DMN): Meditative practices in Kundalini enhance the brain's ability to process emotions and memories. 

Increases BDNF Levels: Breathwork and meditation stimulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), supporting neurogenesis and cognitive health. 

Enhances Emotional Regulation: Chanting and meditation activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing anxiety and promoting calmness. 

Yin Yoga 

Yin yoga is a type of restorative yoga, and involves holding passive poses for longer durations, typically 3 to 5 minutes, to target deep connective tissues.  The poses are done on the floor and are held in a relaxed, meditative state.  Unlike more active yoga styles, Yin yoga is about finding stillness and surrender, using props like blocks, blankets, and bolsters to support the body and encourage deeper relaxation. 

Brain Benefits 

Reduces Stress and Anxiety: The slow pace and deep stretching activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps reduce cortisol levels and induces a state of calm. 

Enhances Brain Function: The meditative nature of Yin yoga boosts neuroplasticity and supports cognitive repair by promoting deep relaxation. 

Improves Sleep: By calming the mind and body, Yin yoga helps regulate the nervous system, improving sleep quality and supporting better rest. 

Promotes Emotional Balance: Yin yoga fosters mindfulness and emotional healing, creating a sense of emotional stability and peace. 

Finding an exercise routine that works for you is key to keeping your brain strong now and for the years ahead.  Yoga, with its variety of styles, may just be the perfect practice to adopt into your routine.  

References

​​1. Singh Khalsa, D. & Kaur Khalsa, T. P3‐625: THE PINK BRAIN PROJECT: HOW YOGA MEDITATION MAY PREVENT ALZHEIMER’S IN WOMEN. Alzheimer’s & Dementia 14, (2018). 

​2. Voss, S., Cerna, J. & Gothe, N. P. Yoga Impacts Cognitive Health: Neurophysiological Changes and Stress-regulation Mechanisms. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 51, 73 (2022). 

​3. Kumar, N. & Singh, U. Yoga for improving mood and cognitive functions – A brief review. Yoga Mimamsa 53, 39–45 (2021). 

​4. Streeter, C. C. et al. Effects of Yoga Versus Walking on Mood, Anxiety, and Brain GABA Levels: A Randomized Controlled MRS Study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 16, 1145 (2010). 

​5. Christensen, D. S., Garde, E., Siebner, H. R. & Mortensen, E. L. Midlife perceived stress is associated with cognitive decline across three decades. BMC Geriatr 23, 1–11 (2023). 

​6. Pascoe, M. C., Thompson, D. R. & Ski, C. F. Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology 86, 152–168 (2017). 

​7. Maddux, R. E., Daukantaité, D. & Tellhed, U. The effects of yoga on stress and psychological health among employees: an 8- and 16-week intervention study. Anxiety Stress Coping 31, 121–134 (2018). 

​8. Bankar, M. A., Chaudhari, S. K. & Chaudhari, K. D. Impact of long term Yoga practice on sleep quality and quality of life in the elderly. J Ayurveda Integr Med 4, 28 (2013). 

​9. Turmel, D., Carlier, S., Bruyneel, A. V. & Bruyneel, M. Tailored individual Yoga practice improves sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, and depression in chronic insomnia disorder. BMC Psychiatry 22, 267 (2022). 

​10. Gothe, N. P., Khan, I., Hayes, J., Erlenbach, E. & Damoiseaux, J. S. Yoga Effects on Brain Health: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature. Brain Plasticity 5, 105 (2019). 

​11. Djalilova, D. M. et al. Impact of Yoga on Inflammatory Biomarkers: A Systematic Review. Biol Res Nurs 21, 198 (2018). 

​12. Cahn, B. R., Goodman, M. S., Peterson, C. T., Maturi, R. & Mills, P. J. Yoga, meditation and mind-body health: Increased BDNF, cortisol awakening response, and altered inflammatory marker expression after a 3-month yoga and meditation retreat. Front Hum Neurosci 11, 229690 (2017).