Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine recently set out to contrast the brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels of yoga practitioners with those of participants who spent time walking. GABA is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian nervous system. In other words, it chills us out. (People with depression and anxiety have low amounts of GABA in their cerebrospinal fluid.)

The study was this: Research subjects practiced yoga or walked for an hour, three times a week for twelve weeks. The yoga practitioners reported improved mood and anxiety compared to the walking controls, and MRIs showed increased GABA in the thalamus (the part of the brain that processes and relays movement and sensory information) of the yoga practitioners compared to the walkers. The increase in GABA correlated with the decrease in anxiety scores. Since there is a body of evidence that suggests exercise is helpful for treating depression and anxiety, it is interesting to see that yoga could be even more helpful than regular exercise.