The effect of inverted yoga positions on short-term memory.

Abstract

A brief yoga sequence consisting of three inverted positions was designed to test the hypothesis that inverted yoga positions positively influence memory and attention due to increased blood flow to the brain. Three hundred participants were divided into four treatments utilizing a Solomon Four (Trochim, 2005) design (yoga pre/post, yoga post, control pre/post, and control post). All participants completed a short-term memory test of a series of words read aloud at the conclusion of the treatment condition; number of words recalled was the dependent variable. One week separated the pre- and post-test for the pre/post conditions. A 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA was conducted to evaluate the effect of the testing and treatment. There was no significant difference between the control group and the experimental group. In this study, the practice of inverted yoga positions did not influence short-term memory. Any improvement appeared to be the result of being exposed to the pretest rather than the participation in yoga.