What is the evidence for Acquired Brain Injury recovery?
TBI Recovery: Research has found enhanced neuroplasticity and improvements in sleep, mood, and chronic pain as well as reduced fall risk (through improved balance and mobility) through participation in a yoga practice.
Check out the first ever Meta-Analysis on mindfulness based intervention and mild traumatic brain injury recovery which found greatest improvements in fatigue and depression.
Stroke Recovery: Studies have shown significant improvements in mobility and balance therefore reduced fear of falling following a stroke. Yoga is also associated with decreased depression, anxiety, cognitive fatigue and improved language and attention skills, overall cognition, memory and improved reintegration back into normal life. Studies have shown decreased risk factors for recurrent strokes given reduction in systolic blood pressure and notable improvements in hand grip strength for both affected and unaffected limbs.
S study by Indiana University demonstrated that yoga can extend rehabilitation benefits well beyond acute recovery phase.
In summary: Yoga offers multidimensional benefits across physical, cognitive, and psychological domains in aquired brain injury recovery. Participation in mindfulness and embodiment practices are especially valuable for chronic brain injury survivors, extending rehabilitation benefits well beyond typical recovery windows.
What is the evidence for neuro-degenerative conditions?
Parkinson’s Disease: Jama Neurology conducted an 8-week randomized trial comparing the impacts of mindfulness yoga (combining meditation, breathing, and yoga postures) to stretching and resistance training in patients with mild to moderate PD. This study found that the improvements in motor symptoms from participating in mindfulness yoga equally as effective as stretching and resistance training alone. Mindfulness yoga also resulted in additional benefits of significantly reduced psychological distress, enhanced health related quality of life and spiritual well-being.
Mindfulness based interventions have been found to produce structural changes in the brain within individuals with PD. This study shows the benefits of adding mindfulness and controlled breathing practices to a movement based yoga class.
Alzheimer’s Disease: Yoga has been linked to improvements in language, attention and delayed recall scores on the MoCA assessment and reduced caregiver burden.
In summary: Treating with a mind-body connection approach results in both mental and physical improvements which is not found in traditional stretching and resistance training practices. Given that high levels of anxiety and depression are so common in the PD community due to the lack of dopamine. When left untreated, these mental health challenges often become significant barriers to engaging in movement-based therapies, social activities, and even daily tasks. Mind-body practices create the internal stability and emotional resilience needed to re-engage with life more fully.
When individuals feel more emotionally balanced and empowered, they're more likely to participate in their care, stay active, and connect with others—fostering better long-term outcomes and a higher quality of life. To explore the growing body of research on this topic, visit The Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Why is Neuro-Informed Inherently Trauma-Informed?
Yoga Enhances Awareness & Increases Safety
Individuals with brain injuries often experience a diminished awareness of their cognitive, emotional, or physical impairment. This lack of insight can hinder their engagement in and motivation for rehabilitation, as they may not fully recognize the extent of their challenges or the potential benefits of therapeutic interventions. Yoga, with its emphasis on introspection, offers a unique approach to bridging this gap. By encouraging present-moment awareness and fostering a deeper connection between the body and mind, yoga can help individuals begin to recognize their limitations in a non-judgmental, supportive environment.
This enhanced self-awareness can lead to more meaningful participation in rehabilitation and a stronger sense of agency in their recovery journey. Moreover, for individuals with neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or early-stage dementia, yoga can serve as a powerful tool to maintain cognitive function and emotional regulation. The mindfulness cultivated through regular practice may help individuals become more attuned to subtle changes in their cognitive or physical abilities, promoting earlier recognition of symptom progression and facilitating timely adjustments to care strategies. In both populations, yoga not only supports functional goals but also nurtures a sense of personal empowerment and emotional resilience.
Why is Self Empowerment important for this community?
For individuals living with brain injuries or neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s Disease or Mild Cognitive Impairment, daily life is often shaped by limitations and external structures. Strict medical schedules, dependence on caregivers, the inability to drive, and the need to plan life around others' availability — this loss of independence can be deeply disempowering. Opportunities to make spontaneous choices or autonomous decisions can feel rare. This is where yoga becomes a deeply empowering tool. Yoga becomes a powerful tool to reclaim control and rebuilding a sense of self.
Rather than healing being something that happens to them, yoga empowers individuals to reconnect with their inner wisdom and strength. Each breath, movement, and moment of stillness becomes an act of self-agency. On the mat, they get to choose how they move, when to rest, and how deeply to engage—making it one of the few spaces where personal choice is both encouraged and celebrated. Yoga supports healing from within, nurturing a sense of autonomy, confidence, and ownership over one’s body and progress.
Whether someone is recovering from injury or managing a progressive condition, yoga offers a safe, adaptable space to reconnect with their body, breath, and sense of agency. Each practice fosters self-awareness, choice, and presence. For those with Parkinson’s, this sense of autonomy is especially vital. Yoga not only helps manage physical symptoms like stiffness and balance issues but also nurtures emotional resilience and a sense of control over one’s experience.
Yoga is
Self Empowering
Do you have Parkinson’s disease? Let’s explore the impact of Dopamine Deficiency
The dopamine deficiency in Parkinson’s disease plays a central role not only in motor symptoms but also in emotional regulation, motivation, and cognitive function.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for:
Motor control (movement, coordination)
Mood and motivation
Reward and pleasure pathways
Cognitive flexibility (attention, working memory)
In Parkinson’s, the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra leads to:
Tremor, stiffness, bradykinesia (slowness)
Depression, anxiety, apathy
Decreased motivation to initiate or sustain activities—including exercise or therapy
Impaired stress resilience and emotional regulation
Studies supporting the neuroprotective, motor and cognitive, and emotional benefits of yoga and mindfulness meditation for people with Parkinson's disease.
A note on Evidence Based
Western science has begun to research the benefits of yoga, however it is important that we acknowledge that this knowledge of benefits is not new, yet of ancient practices. There is both evidence of wisdom and evidence of science.
“Empirical methods of western science compliment what is age-old wisdom”
— David Perrin
