Posts
.jpg)
It's become almost an epidemic for people to feel chronically anxious, irritable or unfocused. For some, chronic anxiety can become debilitating. Low levels of GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid, may be the culprit. A GABA deficiency can directly impact a person's ability to handle day to day or long-term stress. The calming, or "peacemaker" chemical in the brain, GABA induces relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety, and increases alertness. One of four key neurotransmitters, GABA also keeps all the other neurotransmitters in check.
People with a GABA deficiency often experience:
- Anxiety symptoms
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Hypertension
- Palpitations
- Seizures
- Lower sex drive
- Disorders of the heart
While many people with anxiety take prescription medications such as Valium, Xanax or Ativan, benzodiazepine drugs that stimulate GABA receptors, these drugs often produce unwanted side effects.
And so, how might we increase GABA without resorting to chemicals? Create more of our own GABA, naturally! So, here are some insights as to how yoga has given most practitioners more than a quarter more GABA with only an hour of practice. Read Doug Donaldson's article, "Soul Food."
Ever wonder how yoga relaxes you? Here’s how—and why—you can find your Zen state.If you’ve ever done the downward-facing dog or made the mountain pose, you know that yoga can relax your body, but a recent study suggests such benefits are much deeper than muscle tissue.Researchers have found that yoga boosts the levels of gamma-aminobutyric (GABA), a brain chemical linked to well being. A study by the Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital found GABA levels of those who did an hour of yoga were 27 percent higher than those who read for the same amount of time. What’s more, researchers say that the calm-inducing effects of yoga are so powerful that it could be a treatment for depression and anxiety. View study details: study 1, study 2.You can tap into this potent stress relief by signing up for a 24 Hour Fitness Group X yoga class. Such sessions are a free part of your membership, says Linda McHugh, Manager of Group Exercise Programs at 24 Hour Fitness.Often, Group Exercise instructors teach Vinyasa style yoga, which is a breath-synchronized version where the class leader explains how to time your breathing to the poses. Sort of like taking a few deep breaths to calm down in a tense situation, yoga can reduce your stress level.“During our busy days, we often don’t take full, deep breaths,” McHugh says. “With those breaths, you move oxygen to your muscles and your brain, allowing you to slow down and relax.”Group Exercise yoga classes are offered free as part of your regular membership. Other health clubs may have an additional fee from $15 a class to a couple hundred dollars a month. Classes are typically conducted in a gym’s exercise room and offered a few times a week. Because there’s no fee, you can try a few sessions to see if yoga is an activity you enjoy.Classes usually start with standing positions and the instructor guides you through a series of poses. In Vinyasa yoga, your movements are flowing, connecting usually three postures before returning to a neutral position. And as you move from position to position, you’re concentrating on your form and technique, shifting your thoughts from any stresses. Usually classes end in what’s called the corpse pose, where you’re on the floor and the instructor guides you through a head-to-toe relaxation exercise. “You’ll often find that you’re more focused and feel stronger the rest of the day after doing yoga,” McHugh says.
See you Monday the 24th! Until then, namaste!
Nancy
