Improve brain fitness with yoga

Gentle forms of exercise, such as yoga, are great for all ages, especially older people and the ageing population as it improves physical and mental health, builds strength and improves flexibility and posture.

Research has also found that yoga is a good way to improve brain fitness and boost verbal and visual-spatial memory. Researchers at the University of Adelaide looked at people over the age of 55 with memory problems, such as regularly missing appointments or forgetting names and faces, split them into two groups with one carrying out memory exercises such as crossword puzzles and the other doing a weekly hour-long yoga session and meditating for 20 minutes.

Verbal memory skills improved in both groups, but the group that did yoga also saw an improvement in their visual-spatial memory, which includes the ability to recall locations and navigate while walking or driving.

Doing yoga on a regular basis can also help you feel less depressed or anxious and the best thing is, you’re never too old to do yoga, as you can adapt the poses to suit you and what your body will allow you to do.