Twice weekly sessions of hot yoga helps to beat depression
- A series of new studies done in the US have shown Bikram yoga boosts the mind
- The practice involves doing normal yoga but in the heat, at 35–42C (95–108F)
- Veterans who did Bikram twice weekly for 8 weeks had better mental health
Rosie Taylor for the Daily Mail
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Embracing the downward-facing dog could help you feel less down in the dumps.
A series of American studies found weekly yoga sessions can help relieve symptoms of depression.
Scientists believe the combination of exercise and meditation in yoga helps reduce stress, anxiety, low mood and improve self-confidence.
People could also feel less stigmatized about taking part in trendy yoga classes – such as those embraced by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson – rather than admitting they were seeking treatment for depression.
Dr Lindsey Hopkins, of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, said: ‘Yoga has become increasingly popular in the West, and many new yoga practitioners cite stress-reduction and other mental health concerns as their primary reason for practicing.
A series of new studies done in the US have shown Bikram yoga boosts mental health. Miley Cyrus (pictured) is one of the many celebrities who take part in the trendy activity
‘But the empirical research on yoga lags behind its popularity as a first-line approach to mental health.’
Her research – one of several yoga studies presented at the American Psychological Association convention yesterday – found male veterans who took twice-weekly yoga classes for eight weeks had fewer depression symptoms.
Another study, by Alliant University in San Francisco, found women aged 25 to 45 who took part in twice-weekly Bikram yoga – or hot yoga – sessions for eight weeks had significantly reduced depression symptoms compared to those on a waiting list for classes.
A Massachusetts General Hospital study of 29 adults also found taking Bikram yoga classes at least twice a week for eight weeks significantly reduced symptoms of depression and improved quality of life, optimism, mental function and physical ability.
Dr Maren Nyer, co-author of the study, said: ‘The more the participants attended yoga classes, the lower their depressive symptoms at the end of the study.’
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A study led by Dr Nina Vollbehr, of the Centre for Integrative Psychiatry in the Netherlands, found yoga could be used to treat people with depression when other treatments had failed.
Researchers followed 12 people who had depression for an average of 11 years as they took part in 2.5-hour yoga sessions once a week for nine weeks.
The patients’ scores for depression, anxiety and stress decreased throughout the program but, promisingly, the benefits remained four months later.
And while patients’ levels of rumination and worrying did not change during the sessions, they had also dropped four months later.
A further study, also led by Dr Vollbehr, found 74 mildly depressed university students responded better over time to yoga than relaxation classes.
Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco (left) and Victoria Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio (right) also regularly practice Bikram yoga
For the study, participants received 30 minutes of instruction in either yoga or relaxation and were asked to perform the same exercises at home for eight days using a 15-minute instructional video.
Immediately afterwards, both groups showed reduced symptoms. But two months later, only the yoga group showed significantly lower scores for depression, anxiety and stress.
Dr Vollbehr said: ‘These studies suggest that yoga-based interventions have promise for depressed mood and that they are feasible for patients with chronic, treatment-resistant depression.’
Experts said more evidence was needed to show yoga could be an active treatment for depression.
Dr Hopkins added: ‘At this time, we can only recommend yoga as a complementary approach, likely most effective in conjunction with standard approaches delivered by a licensed therapist.
‘Clearly, yoga is not a cure-all. However, based on empirical evidence, there seems to be a lot of potential.’
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