Your brain on Yoga

American Neuroscientists have recently began testing the consequences of a meditative yoga practice.

Some results from these studies follow:
Brain scans of regular yoga practitioners show unsurpassed neural activity in circuits involving maternal love (caudate), empathy (right insula), and feelings of joy and happiness (left prefrontal cortex).

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital have found that practicing yoga may elevate brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels, the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. This  finding suggests that the practice of yoga is an effective treatment for depression and anxiety, and disorders associated with low GABA levels.