Want to improve your mind while toning and strengthening your body? Memory, mental speed, and focus are all strengthened by doing slow, meditative yoga, according to a new study. They compared the practice to 20 minutes of traditional exercise (steady accelerated heart rate), which they found did not have the same mind-boosting effects.
In the long term, any type of exercise will support brain health and ultimately, memory and function. But what’s neat about the study is that yoga can focus the mind so quickly—20 minutes of gentle exercise isn’t very much, and if you have a test, a meeting, or a performance, it can give you an immediate boost.
If you want more long term ways to support your brain, don’t forget good nutrition (blueberries help gray matter, which helps memory!). And supplement with colloidal gold to enhance brain functions. Like yoga, colloidal gold is reported to support memory, focus, and speed.
If you aren’t sure where to start with yoga, try sun salutation (in the video above) as a warm up and tree pose for balance. As a main workout you can either focus on meditating, poses that stretch you (yoga finds muscles you didn’t know were tense), or a more physical yoga—speed or heat can intensify your routine and make it a work out (do one but not both!).
Do you do yoga? What kind?
