Yoga combined with standard buprenorphine therapy hastened recovery from opioid withdrawal and improved autonomic regulation compared with buprenorphine alone. This was shown in an early phase randomized trial in India with 59 participants with opioid addiction. The study was conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore. As an adjunctive therapy, yoga increases levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid and oxytocin in the brain, which help alleviate withdrawal symptoms and reduce the risk of relapse. After 12 weeks of the intervention, participants in the yoga group were 2.68 times more likely to have a negative urine test for opioids compared to the exercise group. The yoga group showed a significant improvement in pain, appetite, anxiety, depression, quality of sleep and life. The study suggests that yoga activates brain regions associated with salience attribution and stress systems, thereby reducing cravings. Yoga can serve as a low-cost, low-risk adjunctive therapy for opioid addiction.