The study involved 19 healthy participants, all whom had no psychiatric disorders and all whom practiced lyengar yoga and hatha yoga. The other set of participants involved were 15 people who walked at an average pace for one hour three times a week for 12 weeks.
Participants filled out standard mood questionnaires during the course of the study and had MRI images of their brains taken at the start and end of the 12 weeks. The results showed that those who practice yoga produced greater improvements in mood than the walking participants and it was also found to increase a brain chemical which is low in mood disorders.
The authors of the study believe the reason yoga makes people feel better is because it increase levels of GABA, a brain chemical that’s reduced in depression and doesn’t work well in people with anxiety.
Although the study only involved yogas affects on people without psychiatric problems, it does suggest that yoga postures could be helpful in helping depression and anxiety.