Why Your Yoga Practice Changes Your Brain: Neuroplasticity, Learning and Mindful Movement

Written by Jackie Paunil, Creator of the Young Heart Yoga App, E-RYT, RPYT, CHC, MFA

Empowering older adults to move, breathe, and thrive with grace and vitality.

Your yoga practice may be doing more than helping you stretch, strengthen, or find a little breathing room in your day. Every time you learn a new movement, remember a sequence, or adjust your body in response to what you feel, your brain is participating in the practice, too.

This is where yoga and neuroplasticity intersect.

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to adapt by changing its activity, connections, and organization in response to experience. And importantly for older adults, the capacity to learn new motor skills does not disappear with age. Research shows that although movement may become slower or less precise as we age, older adults retain the ability to improve motor skills through training, with learning associated with changes in brain structure and function (Gooijers et al., 2024).

Learning Is Part of the Practice

Think about what happens when you learn a yoga sequence you've never practiced before. You aren't simply moving from one pose to another.

First, you listen to instructions. You have to remember what comes next, orient your body, coordinate several movements, and pay attention to sensory information. Then you make adjustments when something doesn't feel quite right. With repetition, the sequence becomes more familiar.

That progression—novelty, attention, motor learning, repetition, and adaptation—is exactly what makes learning a movement skill interesting from a brain-health perspective.

Exercise research suggests that physical activity can influence neuroplastic processes involved in motor function and skill learning (Nicolini et al., 2021). In other words, your brain isn't merely along for the ride while your body does the work.

Why Mindful Movement Matters

Yoga adds another layer: attention.

When you deliberately notice your breathing, foot placement, balance, muscle engagement, or the transition between movements, you're practicing mindful movement rather than simply going through the motions.

Research specifically examining yoga and cognitive health in older adults is promising but not definitive. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials found that several studies reported improvements in areas such as memory and executive function, but the studies varied considerably and had important methodological limitations (Hoy et al., 2021). A broader meta-analysis also found benefits in memory, executive function, attention, and processing speed, while calling for additional research (Bhattacharyya et al., 2021).

That's encouraging—but it doesn't mean yoga has been proven to prevent dementia.

Supporting brain health and preventing a specific disease are not the same claim.

Keep Giving Your Brain Something New to Learn

Your yoga practice doesn't have to become increasingly difficult to keep your brain engaged. Sometimes the challenge is simply doing something unfamiliar: learning a new sequence, changing the pace, coordinating breath with movement, practicing on the other side, or paying closer attention to a familiar movement.

For older adults, that willingness to keep learning matters. The aging brain remains capable of adaptation, and movement provides one meaningful way to give it something to practice (Gooijers et al., 2024).

So the next time you forget which foot goes where in a new sequence, don't be too hard on yourself. Your brain may simply be busy learning.

Keep Learning Through Movement

Young Heart Yoga offers practices that invite you to move, breathe, pay attention, and continue learning at a pace appropriate for your body and experience. Download the Young Heart Yoga App and explore Gentle Hatha and meditation courses designed to support mindful movement, awareness, and lifelong learning.

About the Author

Jackie Paunil is a published author, wellness advocate, and creator of the Young Heart Yoga App, designed for active and older adults seeking balance, vitality, and mindfulness. With certifications including E-RYT, RPYT, CHC, and an MFA, Jackie combines her extensive training and life experience to inspire others to live with purpose and wellness.

Residing on a ranch in Casa Grande, Arizona, Jackie leads an organic lifestyle surrounded by animals she adores. She is a devoted wife, mother, proud “GiGi” to her grandchildren, and a world traveler who has explored the depths as a master scuba diver. Her in-person yoga and meditation classes, alongside her app, reflect her passion for helping others thrive. Jackie's teaching philosophy is grounded in her own holistic practices, empowering students to embrace sustainable, joyful movement and mindfulness for a more vibrant life.

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References

• Bhattacharyya, K. K., Andel, R., & Small, B. J. (2021). Effects of yoga-related mind-body therapies on cognitive function in older adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 93, 104319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2020.104319

• Gooijers, J., Pauwels, L., Hehl, M., Seer, C., Cuypers, K., & Swinnen, S. P. (2024). Aging, brain plasticity, and motor learning. Ageing Research Reviews, 102, 102569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2024.102569

• Hoy, S., Östh, J., Pascoe, M., Kandola, A., & Hallgren, M. (2021). Effects of yoga-based interventions on cognitive function in healthy older adults: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 58, 102690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102690

• Nicolini, C., Fahnestock, M., Gibala, M. J., & Nelson, A. J. (2021). Understanding the neurophysiological and molecular mechanisms of exercise-induced neuroplasticity in cortical and descending motor pathways: Where do we stand? Neuroscience, 457, 259–282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.12.013