Kundalini yoga may improve cognition and memory in older women at risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Yoga sessions could support cognition and memory in older women who are at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, potentially reducing some contributing factors and helping to delay the onset of symptoms.

UCLA study design: Kundalini yoga compared with memory training

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) recruited 79 women aged over 50 who were considered at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Many were thought to carry a gene variant linked to elevated risk, and that same variant has also been associated with higher blood pressure, increased heart rate, and abnormal blood vessels in the brain.

All participants reported subjective cognitive decline. In addition, they had at least one relevant health factor: they were either taking medication for cholesterol or high blood pressure, had diabetes, or had recently had a heart attack.

The volunteers were assigned to one of two groups for 12 weeks. One group followed a course of Kundalini yoga training, while the other completed a standard set of memory training exercises. At follow-up, testing indicated a “significant, large effect size” improvement in cognition among those doing the yoga compared with those doing the memory exercises.

“These results suggest clinical and biological benefits to Kundalini yoga for subjective cognitive decline, linking changes in cognition to the anti-inflammatory effects of yoga,” the researchers write in their published paper.

What changed with Kundalini yoga

Although the study’s limitations mean it is far too early to claim yoga can lower the chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease, this small trial did suggest benefits for early problems that are often associated with Alzheimer’s.

In the Kundalini yoga group, the researchers observed signs consistent with neural pathways being rebuilt, less decline in brain matter, and reversals in some biomarkers (biological flags) associated with ageing and inflammation-factors that are all linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Why Kundalini yoga may help: stress, inflammation and neuroplasticity

Kundalini yoga places greater emphasis on breathing and meditation than on holding physical poses. Previous research has indicated it can help counter cognitive decline and improve mood.

“That is what yoga is good for – to reduce stress, to improve brain health, subjective memory performance and reduce inflammation and improve neuroplasticity,” says psychiatrist Helen Lavretsky of UCLA.

More broadly, one challenge in preventing and treating Alzheimer’s disease is that scientists still do not fully understand its causes. The encouraging news is that research continues to narrow down plausible mechanisms and has identified several conditions-such as depression-that appear closely connected to the disease.

Understanding how to reduce Alzheimer’s risk could also illuminate what triggers it in the first place, and these findings add to the case that the beneficial effects of yoga warrant further investigation.

Yoga and memory training: which is better for staying sharp?

When it comes to choosing between yoga and memory exercises as ways to stay mentally sharp in later life, the answer may be: both. The researchers point out that the memory training exercises did improve recall, as intended.

“Yoga has this anti-inflammatory, stress-reducing, anti-aging neuroplastic brain effect which would be complementary to memory training,” Lavretsky says.

“Ideally, people should do both because they do train different parts of the brain and have different overall health effects.”

Practical considerations for older adults

For older people-especially those managing high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, or recovery after a heart attack-starting any new activity should be done sensibly. A properly led Kundalini yoga class that prioritises breathing, meditation and safe movement may be more accessible than strenuous exercise, but it is still wise to seek medical advice where appropriate and to inform instructors about health conditions and medications.

It is also worth noting that consistency matters in many lifestyle interventions. Establishing a realistic weekly routine-whether for Kundalini yoga, memory training, or a combination-may help people sustain the habits long enough to see meaningful changes.

What comes next for the research

Because this was a relatively small study in a specific group (older women with subjective cognitive decline and elevated risk factors), larger and more diverse trials will be needed to confirm the findings and determine how widely they apply. Future work may also clarify which elements of Kundalini yoga-breathing, meditation, stress reduction, or related changes in inflammation-are most responsible for the observed cognitive effects.

The research has been published in Translational Psychiatry.