There may be another reason to consider a regular yoga practice other than to increase flexibility, tone muscles and de-stress in general. The UK’s Telegraph (8/20, Alleyne) reported that, according to a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, yoga may help protect “the brain from depression.” During a 12-week study of “two groups of healthy individuals, half of whom walked for three hours each week, while the other half spent the same time doing yoga,” investigators utilized magnetic resonance imaging scans to measure the amino acid gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the participants. The researchers found that the levels of GABA “are much higher in those that carry out yoga than those do the equivalent of a similarly strenuous exercise, such as walking.” The Telegraph noted that “low GABA levels are associated with depression and other widespread anxiety disorders.”
Hope your Monday is a calm one! 🙂
Tracy Latz, M.D. (a.k.a. “The Shift Doctor”)
*Check out The Shift Doctors’ books at the Amazon link by clicking here and the Meditation CDs at the digstation link by clicking here
