Using Yoga to Relieve Depression

Posted on April 14, 2017

Photo: flickr

There is a promising amount of evidence to prove that practising yoga techniques helps to relieve depression. This study, conducted in San Francisco, focused on whether yoga alone can help to alleviate mild to moderate depression. The study found that the group of participants who had eight weeks of active yoga sessions twice a week significantly improved, as compared to those who had merely learnt about the history of yoga. Though the number of participants involved in this study (38) may be small, it definitely sets the tone for future studies of a larger scale.

Investigating whether yoga can be used as a technique to help people cope with depression is not a new research topic. In fact, there have been many studies conducted on this topic in the last decade alone. 24 randomised trials have been conducted between the years 2005 and 2015, almost five times the number conducted in the decade before. However, these studies do not shed much light on the overall impact yoga might have on depressive patients, as they often focus on specific groups of people, or use yoga as one technique in a multi-step treatment process. For instance, yoga has often been investigated in relation to how it can be utilised in combination with more well-known treatments for depression, such as prescription medication and psychotherapy. Hence, this new study can provide better grounding for gauging the effects of using yoga as a standalone technique to help with depression.

Researchers deliberately chose participants who were undergoing other methods of treatment for depression, and had a certified yoga instructor give them hatha yoga sessions. Hatha yoga is generically used to refer to yoga that includes breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and poses. One group of participants was taught poses and breathing exercises twice a week, while the other group was given lessons regarding the history and philosophy of yoga. The researchers paid careful attention to the yoga exercises and sequences used during the lessons, documenting them in their report. This would prove extremely useful, not only for future studies, but also for people who wish to give these strategies a try.

These yoga sessions lasted for one and a half hours, and were divided into a 5-minute introduction, 20 minutes of breathing exercises, 50 minutes of poses and movement, and a final 15 minutes of deep relaxation techniques.

Here is a detailed breakdown of a yoga session:

1. Breathing exercises (Pranayama) – 20 minutes
- Victorious Breathing (Ujjayi): deep slow breathing while gently constricting the back of your throat
- Bellows Breathing (Bhastrika): rapid, forceful breathing
- Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana): relaxed breathing while alternating between nostrils
- Bee Breathing (Brahmari): slow breathing while humming slowly

2. Poses, with a focus on chest-opening poses that are thought to help relieve depression – 50 minutes
Some suggestions for poses include the: Bow Pose, Bridge Pose, Camel Pose, Child’s Pose, Cobra Pose and Fish Pose

3. Resting pose (“Corpse” pose) – 15 minutes
As the name of the pose suggests, participants were just expected to lie down on the ground, face up.

Here’s an exercise that you can try to get you started: Bee Breathing (Brahmari) helps relieve tension and anxiety.

1. Sit upright with your spine tall and shoulders relaxed.

2. Breathe naturally.

3. Now, inhale through your nose with your lips sealed.

4. Exhale to make a gentle humming sound that sounds like the letter ‘M’. You should feel a slight vibration in your lips, mouth, throat and nose.

5. Concentrate on making the exhalation slow and relaxed. However, do not force it and inhale whenever you are comfortable.

6. Repeat for around 4-5 breaths. Take note of whether you feel any different from when you started.

There are no specific guidelines regarding how long or how frequent the yoga sessions should be in order for them to be effective in improving depression. Older studies have found that as little as four weeks of yoga can have a positive effect on its participants’ depression, especially when practised daily. Ultimately, the exact routines and duration of the yoga sessions needed will undoubtedly vary from person to person.


Category(s):Depression

Source material from Psychology Today