Maplewood, NJ -- Science Daily reported this week that a recent study out of Boston University School of Medicine shows the connection between practicing yoga and mood. The findings, which currently appear on-line at Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine,  demonstrate an association between yoga postures, increased GABA levels and decreased anxiety.

"I'm so happy to see these scientific results supporting what many holistic practitioners have been saying for years," says Maplewood, NJ-based healer Maria Tabone. "I know firsthand that if I am having a stressful day, the minute I start breathing and doing yoga, I am calmer and more balanced."
Tabone writes about the healing effects of regular yoga practice, along with other alternative approaches to anxiety (such as aromatherapy, acupuncture, and mediation) in her recently published book, "The Holistic Root to Managing Anxiety."

And Tabone speaks from experience. A full chapter of Tabone's book is devoted to describing her own struggle with debilitating anxiety that led to bouts of vertigo and shortness of breath. The root of Tabone's own anxiety was a toxic work situation. "I had a boss who was a real bully," she explains. "The situation was so bad, but I needed my job. I didn't think I could choose to leave." At the same time, Tabone's mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The two stressors made a cocktail for disaster. She knew she needed help.

A fortuitous meeting with a compassionate and holistic-minded doctor led Tabone to realize how her life was "spinning out of control." This was the first doctor who asked her to talk about her life, recalls Tabone, and he actually listened. 

"The epiphany for me was the realization that I needed to change. I started taking yoga, classes on herbs, spirituality, eating healthy and the mind-body connection," she says. Now, with a Master's Degree in Experiential Health and Healing and certification as a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, Tabone wants to help others.

"I don't want people to suffer or feel sad or pain," she says. "I wrote this book to give readers good, solid information in concise way about simple steps they can take to improve their life. Sometimes too much information can be overwhelming, but if you break things down in a way that is easy to understand and apply, especially for people who are new to alternative and complementary therapy, you can really help change lives."

In addition to her book, Tabone writes about holistic healing alternatives at her blog: http://theholisticroot.blogspot.com

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