Yoga: is a practice of the body, mind, and spirit and aims to promote physical and mental health and well-being.
Downward dog (Adho Mukha Svānāsana)
3 Main Components: postures and poses (āsanas), guided breathing (prānāyāma), meditation (samyama).
Benefits: strength, flexibility, balance/mobility, stress/anxiety management, pain management, reduction in inflammatory markers, boost in immune function, increases in cognitive function.
Research: One meta-analysis found that yoga practice is associated with moderate improvements in acute and chronic cognitive function (Gothe et al., 2015). Another study found the
Upward Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svānāsana)
practice of yoga linked to memory enrichment in patients with mild cognitive impairment (Eyre et al., 2017).
References:
Gothe NP, McAuley E. Yoga and Cognition: A Meta-Analysis of Chronic and Acute Effects. Psychosom Med 2015; 77:784.
Eyre HA, Siddarth P, Acevedo B, et al. A randomized controlled trial
Child’s Pose (Bālāsana)
of Kundalini yoga in mild cognitive impairment. Int Psychogeriatr 2017; 29:557.
By Ellice Kang and Alee Vladyka
Handout version: The Benefits of Yoga
