Anxiety Yoga and Brain Chemistry

by Ram

Child with Dove by Picasso*

There are so many scientific studies that indicate benefits of yoga (asanas, meditation and pranayama) in combating stress, improving the digestive capacity, helping in the sleeping process, improving the health of the heart and blood vessels, reducing blood pressure, reducing arrhythmia, improving metabolic parameters, including blood lipid profiles, and keeping strokes at bay, all of which result in keeping the individual physically stable. 

Furthermore, at the mental/emotional level, yoga contributes to a feel-good response and wards off mental stress. It stimulates the brain in a positive way that results in optimal brain function keeping an individual alert and sharp. Yoga reduces anxiety and depression, and combats age-associated memory loss thereby promoting a mentally stable and active life. The breath work and the need to focus on the asana practice are excellent ways to rein in our emotions. Yoga’s profound beneficial effects on emotional wellbeing and general mental acuity without any side effects prompted Yoga Journal to aptly title one of its articles Better Than Prozac?

While all of the above studies sum up the power of yoga, one may wonder how yoga promotes such numerous benefits. While it does through multiple cellular mechanisms, a couple of recent studies zeroed in on the mechanism by which yoga exerts anxiolytic effects (reversing anxiety disorders). According to these studies, a regular practice of yoga releases a neurotransmitter chemical called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) in a region of the brain called thalamus. In the brain, GABA serves as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, that is, this neurochemical plays a central role in suppressing excess neural activity throughout the nervous system. Hence, individuals who exhibit anxiety disorders, including excessive fear, worry, or anxiety, have reduced levels of GABA that contribute to this disorder. Such individuals are prescribed anti-anxiety medications, such as benzodiazepines, which work by encouraging the synthesis and release of GABA in the central nervous system. Through its inhibitory action, GABA curbs all the ill effects that come from excessive anxiety, worry, or fear.

In the research studies, GABA was shown to be significantly higher in the brains of those subjects who had been doing yoga. When the levels of GABA were compared before and after a one-hour yoga session, the researchers observed a 27% increase in GABA levels.  The stretching from the yoga asanas, the brief meditative session and the continuous breathing may be signaling the brain to release GABA, which neutralizes all the negative mood effects in the hours following a session of yoga. Additionally, the elevated levels of GABA following the yoga session were sustained during the 12-week yoga intervention. The authors believe that these sustained levels of GABA over a period of regular yoga practice may help the brain to rewire itself and overcome anxiety attacks in the face of daily stressors.  

Interestingly, the studies also indicated that the yoga group displayed greater improvements in mood and decreases in anxiety compared to the metabolically matched walking group, suggesting that the effect of yoga on mood and anxiety goes far beyond than just the metabolic demands of the activity. The researchers’ findings suggest that a simple but regular session of yoga that increases the activity of the GABA could serve as a better alternative than powerful pharmacologic agents that have their own baggage of non-specific side effects.

On a final tipsy note, a similar calming effect can also come from a glass of beer, which mimics the effects of GABA by signaling an analogous mechanism in the brain.  However, if I were you, I would finish a long day of work with a one-hour session of yoga rather than having a beer. For I know that the calmness I experience from a glass of alcoholic drink may not last long while the calmness I experience from a yoga session might stay forever.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect 

Brain Health An Interview with Ram Rao

by Nina and Ram

New Growth by Melina Meza

I’m trying to learn more about brain health so I can write a brief overview about how you can use yoga to foster brain health. And since we just happen to have a handy expert on the topic—Dr. Ram Rao—I thought I’d interview him as a way of doing my research. You lucky people get to see my interview in its complete form today. —Nina

Nina: What are the types of dementia? And what is the probability for developing one of these forms of dementia as you age?

Ram: Memory loss can be a simple age-associated phenomenon or due to a pathological condition. Age is one of the known risks for memory loss or forgetfulness. Age-associated memory loss is not the same as dementia. If a person experiences forgetfulness without having any underlying pathological condition, then the memory loss is solely due to age. Age-associated memory loss is not disabling and does not impact or interfere with daily performance.

Dementia is a pathological term to indicate loss of memory and other mental abilities including thinking and reasoning. The condition can be severe so as to interfere with daily life. Any damage to the memory centers can trigger the onset of dementia. Although many diseases trigger dementia, some forms of dementia may improve greatly when the underlying cause is treated. Dementia can arise due to:

• NeuroDegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease (a rare inherited disorder), and multiple sclerosis
• Vascular disorders that results from multiple strokes in the brain
• Traumatic brain injury due to accidents, severe injuries to the brain, hits to the brain
• Infections, including meningitis, HIV
• Chronic alcohol or drug use
• Depression
• Developmental abnormalities

Nina: Can yoga help us reduce our probabilities of developing memory loss? If so, how?

Ram: According to the Mayo Clinic, memory loss can be prevented by: 1) physical activity/exercise, 2) staying mentally active, 3) being socially active, 4) eating a healthy diet, 5) leading a stress-free life and 6) sleeping well.

There are so many scientific studies that indicate benefits of yoga (asanas, meditation and pranayama) in combating stress, keeping the individual physically and mentally stable and active, improving the digestive capacity and also helping in the sleeping process, all of which will result in combating age-associated memory loss. Yoga does this through multiple cellular mechanisms.

Nina: How can yoga help prevent strokes?

Ram: Yoga (asanas, meditation and pranayama) has been shown to improve the health of the heart and blood vessels, reduce blood pressure, reduce arrhythmia, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve metabolic parameters including blood lipid profiles all of which help in keeping stroke at bay

Nina: How can yoga help reduce chances of getting Alzheimer’s Disease?

Ram: In a recent study involving patients with early signs of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it was shown that Yoga and Meditation increased functional connectivity in the areas involved in memory and also decreased the early degenerative changes that are typically seen in these regions, suggesting that Yoga and meditation have a positive impact on the regions of the brain related to AD. According to one Harvard researcher, yoga and meditation need to be included as part of the treatment regiment for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. All the above-mentioned risk factors for stroke including hypertension, atherosclerosis, abnormal lipid profile, and stroke can trigger (AD).  Since Yoga has been proven to improve all these conditions, in turn it can also reduce the onset and/or severity of AD.

Nina: How about general mental acuity? Can yoga help us stay mentally sharp as we age?

Ram: Yes, there are numerous studies that show that practice of yoga (asanas, meditation and pranayama) has beneficial effects on the emotional well-being and general mental acuity without any of the side effects. It’s no wonder that a recent article in Yoga Journal on yoga’s effects on mental acuity was aptly entitled Yoga-Better than Prozac. That in itself sums up the power of yoga. Yoga increases brain chemicals such as endorphins and enkephalins that contribute to a feel-good response and ward off mental stress. It is akin to stimulating the brain in a positive way, which results in optimal brain function all of which can keep an individual alert and sharp.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect