Mind-body practices that impact decision making

The decision-relevant bottleneck: executive function + autonomic regulation

High-quality decision making under pressure relies on executive functions (inhibition, working memory, flexibility), plus emotion regulation and interoceptive awareness. Stress impairs these systems. 

Heart rate variability (HRV)—often used as a marker of autonomic flexibility—is associated with prefrontal functioning and self-regulation capacity (the “neurovisceral integration” perspective).  This is one plausible bridge between mind-body training and better decision readiness: improve autonomic regulation → support prefrontal control → reduce impulsive, threat-reactive choices.

Yoga: executive function and stress reactivity

Randomized work suggests yoga can improve working memory and executive functioning, and at least one trial explicitly links cognitive improvement to attenuated stress response (including salivary cortisol), i.e., improved HPA-axis regulation.  Acute yoga has also been studied for near-term executive function effects.  Slow yogic breathing around ~6 breaths/min has been shown to improve HRV and working-memory task performance in controlled settings (an example of “fast, non-intrusive” regulation you can deploy before a decision).  Reviews also support yoga’s tendency to improve HRV and reduce stress symptoms in many populations (though effect sizes and study quality vary). 

Tai Chi: inhibitory control, working memory, planning

Tai Chi—often described as “mindful movement”—has evidence (including randomized trials and reviews) suggesting benefits for executive function domains such as inhibition, working memory, and planning.  Newer studies also examine frontal activity and inhibitory control changes after simplified forms. 

 Qigong: stress reduction + parasympathetic activation

Qigong research often emphasizes stress, mood, and autonomic effects—e.g., improved perceived stress in RCT evidence syntheses and mechanisms pointing toward parasympathetic activation.  Reviews note HRV improvements in some programs (heterogeneity is a recurring limitation), but the direction aligns with better regulation capacity. 

Bottom line: Mind-body work doesn’t “teach the correct answer” to a high-stakes question. It more reliably improves the state in which you decide: calmer physiology, more cognitive control, less stress reactivity, better attention and working memory—all prerequisites for good judgment under pressure.