Can Yoga help seniors maintain memory? Ancient Yogic texts indicate that “memory is holding on to that which has been known.” The ability to retain, assimilate, and recall data about past and present events varies among different people, but the issue is of special concern to senior citizens. It is a life quality issue that we might find unimportant, until it happens to us.
Research has shown that stress and unhealthy lifestyles affect memory, and the Alzheimer’s Association predicts that Alzheimer’s alone will reach epidemic proportions as the baby boom generation ages. Although the loss of memory results from a variety of inter-related factors, there is some good news.
At one time, scientists thought the brain fully matured during childhood, but recent technology has shown that it can develop new neural pathways at any age. Neuroscientists say, “Neurons that fire together wire together.” When the brain repeatedly involves the same thought or action, it can rewire itself.
It is little wonder, then, that Yoga is becoming popular among seniors. Sanskrit manuscripts expressed many of the ideas that run parallel to modern medicine and the western scientific community is just beginning is just beginning to recognize many Yogic concepts, which are listed below.
• Yogic practice revolves around the idea that purification burns away old ideas and habits, leading to new ways of behaving and thinking. In Hindu philosophy, the burning away of old habits and perceptions, known as samskaras, prepares the mind for new ways of thinking and behaving. This ancient teaching is very similar to the neuron theory in contemporary science. » Read more: Can Yoga Help Seniors With Memory Loss?
