THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Yoga isn't just for flexibility. It may also protect brain health. (AzmanJaka/E+ via Getty Images) Anyone who has taken a yoga class knows how relaxing it can be to set aside the day’s worries and focus on breathing, gentle movements, healing stretches and guided meditation, even if just for an hour. A growing body of research suggests the soothing powers of yoga may go further than temporarily easing the day’s stress. Yoga is emerging as a potential prescription to boost brain power, offset cognitive decline and help prevent dementia. “The evidence behind yoga has really picked up,” said Dr. Neha Gothe, an associate professor and director of the Ph.D. in Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences program at Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University in Boston. “So far, it points toward the potential for it to protect brain health as we are aging.” Exercise for an aging brain Research into the health benefits of yoga – the origins of which trace back to 2,500 to 5,000 years ago – didn’t begin in earnest until the 2000s, when the practice began to surge in popularity in the U.S., Gothe said. Since then, yoga practice has been shown to have a positive influence on p…

Yoga for healthy ageing: global practice and clinical evidence Yoga began in India, more than two millennia ago, as a meditative discipline rooted in the Sanskrit yuj, to unite. Today hundreds of millions of people worldwide practice yoga as a united mind-body practice for better physical and mental health at every age. Evolving scientific evidence In recent years yoga has attracted serious medical and scientific study. A growing body of scientific evidence has uncovered a range of positive and measurable impacts of practising yoga. Can it reduce stress and anxiety? 1, 2 Improve strength and flexibility? Yes. 3, 4 Researchers are also beginning to uncover less obvious potential benefits of yoga. For example, there is mounting evidence that yoga can support brain health, whether by improving memory or slowing cognitive decline. 5 A large randomized trial presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2026 meeting found that a structured, gentle yoga programme over a month can improve mood, reduce anxiety and lower fatigue in cancer survivors when combined with standard survivorship care. 6 Other research has hypothesized that yoga may simultaneously improve diverse comorbid…

The Power of Yoga: Mind-Body Health for Every Age Michele Kerulis Ed.D. Sporting Moments Stress The Power of Yoga: Mind-Body Health for Every Age Yoga is an accessible wellness tool for people across all ages and abilities. Posted September 14, 2025 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader Share Tweet Share on Bluesky Share Email THE BASICS What Is Stress? Take our Burnout Test Find a therapist to overcome stress Key points September is a time to celebrate and raise awareness about the health benefits of yoga. Around 38 million people in the U.S. practice yoga. Yoga can be an effective way to help people of all ages and abilities. Mind-body benefits of yoga can be experienced across the lifespan. Source: javiindy/Depositphoto Yoga is an ancient practice of philosophy and movement that originated in India thousands of years ago (Uebelacker et al., 2021) and was introduced to the U.S. in 1893 (Yatham et al., 2023). In 2008, yoga organizations worked with the Department of Health and Human Services to officially recognize September as National Yoga Awareness Month, a time to celebrate and raise awareness about the health benefits of yoga ( AllYoga, 2024 ). When some people think of yoga, they …

Yoga enriches body and mind, says Collector Changing lifestyles and unhealthy food habits contribute to a rise in chronic diseases, but Yoga offered an effective means of preventing such ailments, says S. Kandasamy

Yoga a panacea for discipline, health and wellness, says Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav says prevention through regular yoga practice is far more effective than seeking treatment after illness strikes

Yoga Supports Wellness at the Molecular Level Yoga Supports Wellness at the Molecular Level Yoga is growing in popularity. In 2022, nearly 17 percent of adults in America reported practicing yoga, a significant increase compared to 10 years earlier, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And that’s likely a good thing; a systematic review published earlier this month finds that yoga positively affects our bodies at the molecular level, interfering with the cellular processes associated with inflammation, stress, and aging. It’s no surprise that yoga is good for us. Although the roots of yoga go back more than 5,000 years, in modern times it has gained popularity as a fitness practice and a therapeutic tool. A large body of evidence developed over the past three decades demonstrates that yoga contributes to both physical and mental health. Now, researchers are working to understand how exactly yoga improves well-being. The latest systematic view pulls together data from 11 randomized controlled trials involving more than 700 adults to help us better understand yoga’s effect at the molecular level. First, to understand what’s happening in our bod…

Yoga for better mental health - Harvard Health April 29, 2024 Share Share this page to Facebook Share this page to X Share this page via Email Copy this page to clipboard Print This Page Click to Print With its emphasis on breathing practices and meditation - both of which help calm and center the mind - it's hardly surprising that yoga also brings mental benefits, such as reduced anxiety and depression. What may be more surprising is that it actually makes your brain work better. A sharper brain When you lift weights, your muscles get stronger and bigger. When you do yoga, your brain cells develop new connections, and changes occur in brain structure as well as function, resulting in improved cognitive skills such as learning and memory. Yoga strengthens parts of the brain that play a key role in memory, attention, awareness, thought, and language. Think of it as weightlifting for the brain. Studies using MRI scans and other brain imaging technology have shown that people who regularly did yoga had a thicker cerebral cortex (the area of the brain responsible for information processing) and hippocampus (the area of the brain involved in learning and memory) compared with nonpracti…

Will India's new yoga protocols help fight lifestyle diseases ... © Copyright 2026 The Week Online. All rights reserved. Ayush Ministry unveils a new yoga protocol for NCDs and vulnerable groups, integrating yoga into preventive healthcare and addressing lifestyle disorders with evidence-based modules Sakshi Srivastava Updated- April 01, 2026 05:34 PM IST 6 minuteRead Link Copied The Union Ministry of Ayush has rolled out a new clinical framework to integrate yoga into preventive healthcare, targeting non-communicable diseases and vulnerable population groups as India faces a growing burden of lifestyle disorders. For your daily dose of medical news and updates,visit: HEALTH The framework,titled“Yoga Protocol for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Target Groups”, waslaunchedearlier this month during Yoga Mahotsav 2026 by Union Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav. The initiative is being positioned as a timely response to India’s rising burden of lifestyle diseases. The protocols have been developed by the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine (Yoga) (WHOCCIND 118) at the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga under the Ministry of Ayush. …