Health YOU & YOUR
Mind & Body
Do Yoga,
Be Happy
As a mood booster, yoga beats walking
ILLUS TRATION B Y JON HAN B Y HOLL Y S T. LIFER
Feeling blue? Try a downward-facing-dog pose. A new
study from Boston University School of Medicine found
that yoga boosted mood more effectively than walking.
Doing an hour of yoga three times a week for 12 weeks
increased GABA levels by 13 percent, as measured in the
study’s healthy participants right after a session. GABA,
a neurotransmitter in the brain, is lower in people who are
depressed; levels rise with the use of meds. The walkers
showed no significant increase in GABA levels. “This is the
first study to find a behavioral intervention—yoga, in this
case—that has an effect on brain chemistry similar to that of
antidepressants,” says study author Chris Streeter, M.D. ;
18 AARP THE MAGAZINE
