Doing a 20 minute stint of yoga every day could be a powerful stress management tool.
A graduate student at the University of Illinois conducted a study into how people’s brains reacted after a short session of Hatha yoga.
Participants were seen to perform substantially better at various memory and motor skill tests and were found to be able to retain more new information than before.
The sample study was made up of 30 young female undergraduate students who took part in a progression of standing, seated and supine yoga positions that regulated their breathing patterns and relaxed muscles.
Subjects were also told to complete a 20 minute aerobic exercise session on a treadmill, as well as the yoga course.
Neha Gothe, the graduate student behind the study, said: “The breathing and meditative exercises aim at calming the mind and body and keeping distracting thoughts away while you focus on your body, posture or breath.”
Ms Gothe added the positive results could be explained by the increased self-awareness that comes with completing a Hatha yoga session.
