A new study from the University of Illinois found that hatha yoga three times a week for 8 consecutive weeks improved cognitive performance in sedentary older adults..

Hata yoga is a set of physical exercises designed to maintain healthy skin, muscles and bones..

Proponents of this technique say that hatha yoga postures "

The name " The Yoga Journal says that this name reflects the balance of masculine (active, hot, sunny) and feminine (sensitive, cool, lunar).

The experts of the magazine write: “Hatha yoga is the way to achieve balance and unity of opposites.. In our physical body, a balance of strength and flexibility is achieved. We also learn to try and give up by trying each of the poses.”.

Previous scientific research has shown that yoga can be a very useful technique for anxiety, depression and stress.. In 2013, the medical publication Medical News Today reported that scientists from the University of Illinois proved that 20-minute sessions of hatha yoga are more beneficial for brain function than similar aerobic exercises..

Neha Gothe, a student at the University of Illinois and lead author of last year's study, says that " Gothe also led a new study looking at the benefits of hatha yoga for older adults..

She says that “it is possible that this concentration on one’s own body, mind and breath during yoga practice can help people solve other tasks after class, using the developed ability to concentrate attention”.

For her latest work, Gothe enrolled 108 volunteers aged 55-79 in the study.. A group of 61 participants attended hatha yoga classes, while the rest did regular stretching and breathing exercises..

Researchers found that at the end of the 8-week period, participants who practiced hatha yoga scored higher on tests of memory, mental flexibility, and the ability to switch between different tasks.. Participants who engaged in traditional exercise did not show such improvements.

The researchers say the difference between the two groups was not the result of any disparity in age, gender, social status, or demographic factors.. All this was taken into account in the analysis.

“Participants who did yoga showed a significant improvement in memory performance, including updating and managing information.. They coped better with tasks that require speed and accuracy, were less distracted. These functions of intelligence are very important for our daily life, activity planning,” commented co-author of the work, professor of kinesiology and public health Edward McAuley..

Gothe adds: “These studies suggest that yoga has an immediate effect on the human sympathetic nervous system and alters the body’s response to stress..

We now know that an 8-week yoga course can reverse the effects of stress and anxiety on people's cognitive performance.. Yoga is especially beneficial for the elderly.”.

Be that as it may, the scientists acknowledge that their results, which were presented in The Journals of Gerontology Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, are preliminary and based on the analysis of a small group of participants.. They say more work needs to be done in this direction..

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