Which is better? A 20-minute Hatha yoga session or 20-minute vigorous aerobic exercise?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi revolutionised the way the world looks at yoga by leading the world to celebrating the first International Yoga Day. On the backdrop of the International Yoga Day, a new study has proved that even a 20-minute session daily can be beneficial and can simulate brain function immediately.

Which form of yoga should be practised to stimulate the brain function?

During the study, a session of Hatha yoga significantly improved the participant’s speed and accuracy on working memory and inhibitory control tests. These tests are a measure of brain function associated with maintaining focus and process new information.

When compared to a vigorous session of aerobic exercise for the same amount of time, participants performed better on tests after 30 minutes of Hatha yoga.
The 30 study subjects were young, female, undergraduate students.

‘Yoga is an ancient Indian science and way of life that includes not only physical movements and postures but also regulated breathing and meditation,’ said Neha Gothe, who led the study while a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. ‘The practice involves an active attentional or mindfulness component, but its potential benefits have not been thoroughly explored,’ said Gothe.

The yoga intervention involved a 20-minute progression of seated, standing and supine yoga postures that included isometric contraction and relaxation of different muscle groups and regulated breathing. The session concluded with a meditative posture and deep breathing. Participants also completed an aerobic exercise session where they walked or jogged on a treadmill for 20 minutes. Each subject worked out at a suitable speed and incline of the treadmill, with the goal of maintaining 60 to 70 percent maximum heart rate throughout the exercise session.

‘This range was chosen to replicate previous findings that have shown improved cognitive performance in response to this intensity,’ researchers said.
Gothe and colleagues were surprised to see that participants showed more improvement in their reaction times and accuracy on cognitive tasks after yoga practice than after the aerobic exercise session, which showed no significant improvements in the working memory and inhibitory control scores.

Source: PTI

Originally published on www.healthsite.com