Dozens of studies prove that yoga and meditation change brain structure and improve cognitive function, emotional state, and physiology.

Research summaries that can help you reach and impact more people.

Contents

1. How Research Can Help You Reach & Impact More People

2. Research Findings

3. Research Summaries & Source Verification

4. Boost Your Impact — Premium Resources Just a Click Away from $19

5. Recent Newsletters

How Research Can Help You Reach & Impact More People

Research can inspire and motivate you personally and professionally. Being aware of research on the impact of yoga can help to:

1. Inspire you

2. Inform your approach to communicating and teaching

3. Reach more students / clients and make an even greater impact with them

4. Improve the effectiveness of your marketing

Many people receive an extra boost of motivation when they learn about research showing successful results. And some people are “skeptics” by nature, hesitant to experiment without seeing research “facts” to guide their choices. Having research at your fingertips can help tremendously to reach both kinds of people in your marketing, teaching, or client work.

While science conducted with integrity is an excellent tool, unfortunately, many have been trained that they can trust anything that has the word “research” associated with it. As a result, those same people are subject to believing false information since research sponsored by pharma corporations has been proven to be manipulated. Still, there’s plenty of excellent research, discernible by examining the assumptions, methodology and specific results beyond generalized conclusions.

In contrast to clinical studies on pharmaceuticals and other highly profitable interventions, research on yoga and other non-pharma products is typically conducted with full integrity. The many research studies we bring you provide high quality evidence on the measurable impacts of yoga and meditation.

Some considerations:

• You may find it helpful to cite research in your general marketing materials: your website, social media, bio, etc.

• You can cite it as support for marketing particular offerings, such as a workshop on yoga for low back pain or yoga for cancer survivors.

• And you can cite related research any time you teach or consult. You can note the effects of yoga on brain health or stress relief, on mental health or on low back pain. You can pick a different research finding for every day of the week if you want!

• Research can also offer you specific guidance on techniques that are effective with particular conditions. Research has shown, for example, that an adaptive, individualized approach to yoga is effective at lessening arthritis symptoms. So if a student suffering from arthritis attends a fast-paced or large group class, the research can help you inspire the student to try a better-suited practice.

We’ve dug into the research for you, organizing findings by subject. See the Research Hub for much more.

Research Findings

See Research on the Impact of Yoga: Brain, Nervous System for summaries and links to research demonstrating these outcomes and more:

Cognitive Function

1. Improved reaction time, accuracy, memory (2012)

2. Cognitive function improved in older population (2014)

3. Cognitive function & memory improved in young adults (2019)

4. Increased capacity to dual-task, decreased risk of errors & falling (2016)

5. Alternate nostril breathing reduced blood pressure & improved performance that required hand-eye coordination & focus (2014)

6. Alternate nostril breathing improved performance in a test of sustained attention, while also reducing blood pressure during the test, implying a reduction in sympathetic nervous system activation as well (2017)

Brain Structure & Physiology

1. Yoga induced the relaxation response, with alpha/theta brain waves (1977)

2. Yoga changes brains (2019)

3. Elevated GABA levels (2007)

4. Meditation causes widespread changes in brain (2015)

5. Even among novice meditators, meditation produced brain wave changes, plus a small reduction in blood pressure among those without blood pressure issues (2015)

6. Yoga affected brain structure (2018)

7. Thicker prefrontal cortex (2017)

8. Smaller volume of brain region tied to negative emotions (2018)

9. Meditation altered brain and immune function (2003)

10. Meditation rebuilt brain’s gray matter (2011)

11. Brains experience different structural changes based on different meditation techniques (2017)

12. Ashtanga primary series changed brain activity (2020)

13. Targeted meditation increased compassion and changed brain (2013)

Research Summaries & Source Verification

Here’s a sample of how you can quickly understand and verify research to meet your needs in the moment:

Review of 11 Studies: Yoga changes brains (2019)

• Researchers reviewed 11 different studies

• “All the studies used brain scanning techniques such as MRIs or fMRIs to examine participants’ brains. Six of the studies compared people who regularly practiced Hatha yoga (the most commonly practiced form in the United States) with people who didn’t. But in the other five studies, all the participants started out as non-yogis, and then some began practicing once or twice a week for 10 to 24 weeks. Even that amount of yoga was enough to make some measurable differences to participants’ brain function.”

• “Several brain areas benefit from yoga, including the areas that control decision-making and planning, those that control emotions, and those that control memory.”

• The research found “increases in the volume of the hippocampus with yoga practice…The hippocampus is involved in memory processing and is known to shrink with age… It is also the structure that is first affected in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”

• Research – Yoga Improves Your Memory, Decision Making, and Emotional Intelligence, a New Study Shows link, and Brain Benefits of Yoga Comparable to Aerobic Exercise link, and Experts Review Evidence Yoga Is Good For The Brain link, and Experts Agree Yoga Is Great for Your Brain: A Review of the Scientific Evidence link, and Experts Review Evidence Yoga Is Good For The Brain link

See the rest here.

Boost Your Impact — Premium Resources Just a Click Away from $19

Since 2012, Wellness Resource Center and Yoga Teacher Central have been supporting teachers and wellness providers. We’re here for the helpers — yoga teachers, health providers, trainers, coaches, and educators who empower others.

High-quality resources are just a click away: planning tools, research summaries, lesson frameworks, wisdom teachings, structured workshops, and ready-to-use content. Whether you’re planning a class or workshop, educating clients on anatomy, inflammation, energy, meditation, or the root causes of over 50 diseases, guiding breathwork, strength-building, or relaxation, designing a training, or compiling research that backs up your teachings, we’ve got you covered. Our resources elevate your work and amplify your impact, giving you the confidence and time to focus on being present and doing what you do best.

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• Evidence-based resources, delivered in context and designed for real-world application.

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How Can We Help You Today?

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Recent Newsletters

• Timely

• Planning Ahead: Considerations for September 2025 — Eclipses are said to be a time when consciousness is turned inward, ideal times for spiritual practice. link

Yoga

1. Research on the Impact of Yoga Among Cancer Patients & Cancer Survivors — New cancer resources + Research on the impact of yoga among cancer patients and cancer survivors. link

2. Teaching Present Moment Awareness — When the Light of awareness shows us what we don’t want to see or feel, what do we do? What happens if we choose to stay present? The power of Now and teaching present moment awareness. link

3. Integrity & Perseverance — Everything can be compromised, including yoga. How your integrity helps real yoga persevere. link

4. Adaptation Principles — “If you ask all the people in your session to do exactly the same posture in the same manner, it’s almost like asking them to wear the same shoes.” Principles for customization and adaptation of yoga for various uses and needs. link

5. Shadow Work — “Unconscious denial of any experience freezes some portion of our available energy in shadow.” Why shadow work (exploring the subconscious mind) is vital for improving our life, and how yoga helps. The subconscious mind is wildly powerful. And it doesn’t learn or function like the conscious mind. link

Health & Wellness

1. Root Causes of Brain Issues — To reverse brain degeneration & inflammation, address the verifiable root causes of cognitive impairment, learning disabilities, brain inflammation, Alzheimer's and autism. link

2. Defining Cancer — How establishment medicine defines and explains cancer vs. how independent professionals define it. link

3. Research on Cancer Reversal & Recovery Successes — 180 references on clinical studies demonstrating more than 60 successful treatments including nutrients, repurposed drugs, & essential oils. link

4. Health & Wellness Techniques & Therapies — When you're considering options for responding to an illness or imbalance, you've got nearly 200 health & wellness techniques to choose from. Get evidence-based resources here.

5. Let's work together and do things better — Calling all yoga therapists and teachers, doctors and healthcare providers, coaches, and anyone who offers health and wellness support. More people are aware that establishment medicine has contributed to skyrocketing chronic illness. They're realizing they need more knowledge & better solutions. We can do better. link

6. Placebo & Nocebo Effects — Extensive research on placebo effects and sham surgery provide invaluable data for optimizing conditions for healing. link

7. Root Cause Index — 100% evidence-based root causes for more than 50 types of diseases. To actually resolve a condition, address the root causes & their effects rather than mask symptoms. link

8. Vitamin D — Vitamin D’s functions are so foundational and essential as to be virtually indistinguishable from bodily functioning as a whole. Get the key facts here and get your un-sunscreened skin in the sun. link

9. Toxins & Detoxing — Establishment doctors weren't taught about toxins or detoxing. We need to educate ourselves and our clients, so that we're all making informed choices. link

For more: Newsletter Archive