Using yoga to address depression?

Yoga, with its origins in Indian culture, dates back over 5,000 years. The practice combines postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditative elements, gaining millions of followers worldwide – particularly among women. This popularity is no surprise, as yoga provides an ideal counterbalance to the stresses of modern life. Regular practice offers both physical and mental benefits, enhancing flexibility, strength, balance, and body awareness. Most importantly, yoga helps reduce stress and promotes mental equilibrium.

The Study

Given its potential benefits, it is logical to explore whether yoga could positively impact depression. An international team of researchers did just that by analyzing data from the 2015 Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). This study surveyed over 7,000 Australian women aged 36 to 43. Among them, 27.5% practiced yoga or meditation, 33.2% reported experiencing ‘negative life events’ within the past 12 months, and 24% were diagnosed with clinical depression. Negative life events included physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as significant occurrences like the death of a close family member. The study also considered factors such as perceived stress, social circumstances, and participants' outlook on life (optimistic or pessimistic).

Study Conclusions

Yoga/meditation mitigated the direct link between negative life events and depressive symptoms. According to the researchers, this effect was not solely due to a reduction in perceived stress, which represents an indirect correlation. Other factors, such as social circumstances or an optimistic versus pessimistic outlook, also indirectly influenced depressive symptoms by affecting stress levels, either improving or exacerbating them.

Yoga, however, was shown to prevent or at least reduce the direct impact of negative life events on depressive symptoms.

Source

Lauche R, Anheyer D et al.: Do yoga and meditation moderate the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms? Analysis of a national cross-sectional survey of Australian women. Front Psychol. 2023 Sep 5;14:1218976. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1218976. PMID: 37731879; PMCID: PMC10508961.