Going to the mat
Downward facing dog, sun salutation, the eagle…
These are all names of different yoga poses. But what do they have to do with your feelings of anxiety? If you practice these types of poses, they may alleviate your symptoms of anxiety or mild depression.
Recently, study results were released that measured levels of a neurotransmitter, called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which has been linked to impacting anxiety and depression. The research group wanted to measure whether or not yoga practitioners experienced any boost in their GABA levels through yoga practice.
They did.
Two groups were used, one made up of yoga practitioners, the other of non-practitioners. Using a sophisticated brain-measuring tool, magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, researchers took brain scans of all participants prior to the experiment. The yoga group then practiced the meditative technique for an hour, while the non-yoga group simply sat and read.
After the hour was over, their brains were scanned again to measure their GABA levels. Among those who practiced yoga, brain GABA levels had increased by 27 percent—while the levels remained the same for the participants who had only read.
This is a significant increase for a behavioral intervention, one that could offer an alternative to medication for treating anxiety or mild depression.
There are many factors to consider when it comes to depression and anxiety. With depression, there’s another neurotransmitter we need to consider—serotonin. It is important to work with a doctor in treating any symptoms of anxiety or depression, to be sure that you are being treated appropriately. But I recommend talking to your doctor about a program like yoga to be used either by itself or in conjunction with some other treatment.
What’s promising is that with these neuroimaging techniques, a stepped approach may be taken to find the least invasive way of treating these types of disorders. If you can start with a behavioral intervention like yoga and experience positive changes that are similar to what you would get with a drug—I’d say it’s common sense to skip the drug and stick with the natural option.
