Yoga may give moderate gains in thinking, strongest for attention and speed.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   The 22 studies were 15 trials and 7 single-session studies, mostly from India and the United States. Most were of adults, with some children, students and older adults, and the paper gives no total number of people.

2. 02

   What they did

   Most trials ran for one to six months, with classes of 45 to 120 minutes, one to five times a week. Comparison groups were still waiting, or did activities such as walking, stretching or mindfulness. Single-session studies compared yoga with rest or other activities.

3. 03

   What happened

   Compared with the other groups, yoga gave a moderate gain in thinking across 15 trials. Attention and speed gained most, then planning and switching, while memory only just missed a clear result. After one session, attention and speed improved too, though the paper gives two different sizes for that overall gain.

What the review found

1. HelpedOther outcomes

   Yoga improved thinking test scores overall more than the other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 15 studies · vs people who were still waiting, or doing other activities · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

2. HelpedFocus

   Yoga improved attention and speed on tests more than the other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 11 studies · vs people who were still waiting, or doing other activities · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

3. HelpedOther outcomes

   Yoga improved tests of planning, self-control and switching more than the other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 13 studies · vs people who were still waiting, or doing other activities · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

4. HelpedFocus

   A single session of yoga improved attention and speed on tests more than other sessions did.

   Pooled analysis of 6 studies · vs the same people on other sessions, such as rest · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

Source