This month’s monthly dose briefly discusses the relaxation response, restorative yoga, and considers some recent research on the effects of the restorative practice on fluid cognition and well-being. Fluid cognition is the ability to process and integrate information, act, and solve novel problems and has been suggested to be associated with our reaction to stressful situations (i.e., higher fluid cognition is associated with better handling of stress, Stawski et al., 2010).

Articles for discussion: Deng et al., (2022) and Thompson et al., (2023). Note the Laben et al. (2018) article is provided for reference only because it outlines the restorative class sequence that is used/extended in Deng et al (2022).

Deng G, Bao T, Ryan EL, Benusis L, Hogan P, Li QS, Dries A, Konner J, Ahles TA, Mao JJ. Effects of Vigorous Versus Restorative Yoga Practice on Objective Cognition Functions in Sedentary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. Integr Cancer Ther. 2022 Jan-Dec;21:15347354221089221. doi: 10.1177/15347354221089221. PMID: 35861215; PMCID: PMC9403449.

Thompson C, Meller J, Naqvi M, Adesanya O, Vasylyeva TL. Restorative yoga therapy for third-year medical students in pediatrics rotation: Working to improve medical student well-being. J Educ Health Promot. 2023 Mar 31;12:76. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1027_22. PMID: 37288410; PMCID: PMC10243430.

Reference article: Lapen K, Benusis L, Pearson S, Search B, Coleton M, Li QS, Sjoberg D, Konner J, Mao JJ, Deng G. A Feasibility Study of Restorative Yoga Versus Vigorous Yoga Intervention for Sedentary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Survivors. Int J Yoga Therap. 2018 Nov;28(1):79-85. doi: 1del0.17761/2018-00039. Epub 2018 Aug 17. PMID: 30117760; PMCID: PMC7470896.

Additional article mentioned briefly: Stawski RS, Almeida DM, Lachman ME, Tun PA, Rosnick CB. Fluid cognitive ability is associated with greater exposure and smaller reactions to daily stressors. Psychol Aging. 2010 Jun;25(2):330-342. doi: 10.1037/a0018246. PMID: 20545418; PMCID: PMC2896229.