New research from UCLA Health looked at the impact of Kundalini yoga on memory and found a significant impact, finds Megan Whitby

Anew study by UCLA Health found Kundalini yoga provides benefits to cognition and memory for older women who are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

These include restoring neural pathways, preventing brain matter decline and reversing age- and inflammation-associated biomarkers – improvements not seen in a group who received standard memory training exercises.

Led by Dr Helen Lavretsky, the study sought to determine whether Kundalini yoga can be used early on to prevent cognitive decline and trajectories of Alzheimer’s among postmenopausal women.

The research involved over 60 women aged 50 and over with self-reported memory issues and cerebrovascular risk factors.

They were divided into two groups: one participated in weekly 60-minute Kundalini yoga sessions that focused on meditation and breathwork and the other underwent weekly memory enhancement training over a period of 12 weeks. Both groups also received daily homework assignments.

Researchers assessed the women’s cognition, subjective memory, depression and anxiety after the first 12 weeks and again 12 weeks later to determine how stable any improvements were.

Further tests undertaken
Blood samples were also taken to test for gene expression of ageing markers and for molecules associated with inflammation, which are contributing factors to Alzheimer’s.

Researchers found Kundalini yoga group participants saw several improvements not experienced by the memory enhancement training group. These included the prevention of brain matter decline and significant reductions in subjective memory complaints.

“Ideally, people should do both Kundalini yoga and memory training, because they impact different parts of the brain and have different overall health effects,” said Lavretsky.

• Cognitive and immunological effects of yoga compared to memory training in older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, was first published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

More: www.hcmmag.com/Kundalini