A new study from Boston University School of Medicine found that yoga boosted mood more effectivly 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.