No More Sadness: Yoga Can Treat Depression

Anyone who has ever tried a yoga class has probably experienced the endorphin high that comes from a rigorous exercise session. But new studies from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and McLean Hospital have found that the beneficial results of yoga are much more intense that a simple endorphin high.

Results published in Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine point toward yoga as a treatment for depression and anxiety.

Depression and anxiety disorders are related to low GABA levels in the brain. The World Health Organization has previously reported that mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety, contribute to 15 percent of worldwide diseases.

The BUSM research compared GABA levels of study participants before and after a one-hour yoga session to participants who used that hour reading. The yogis experienced a 27 percent increase in GABA levels, while the readers showed no change.

"The development of an inexpensive, widely available intervention such as yoga that has no side effects but is effective in alleviating the symptoms of disorders associated with low GABA levels has a clear public health advantage," explained senior author Perry Renshaw, MD, PhD, director of McLean Hospital.