How Yoga Can Reduce Depression

 

In a talk by Ian Kahrilas and the study “Abnormal emotional reactivity in depression: Contrasting theoretical models using neurophysiological data” by Kaylin E. Hill Susan C. Southa, Ryan P. Eganb, Dan Foti, depression was looked by using ERP and was shown to have different activity than a person without depression. Depression has been shown to lead to many negative effects in working, relationships, and more. Depression has also been increasing especially during this time, there are a few ways to help reduce depression and one of them is breathing meditation. 

A study done by Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania looked at 25 participants with depression and used an 8-week session showed participants different methods to reduce depression such as, Sudarshan Kriya yoga, yoga postures, sitting meditation, and stress education. Based on the study there was an improvement in HDSR scores which measure depression, an improvement of an average of 10 points was shown in participants.  The study also looked at Beck depression and anxiety scores which showed an increase as well. Overall, there is significant improvement shown in the data collected.  

Although medication is one of the main treatments for depression, it is good to see that there are many alternatives that don’t require medication with very bad side effects. In the lecture mindfulness breathing mediation was also brought up to show that it does have an effect in helping reduce depression and even anxiety. A lot of yoga and meditation is also shown to show improvements of focus and memory and this shows that not only does it reduce depression, but also has other positive side effects. This can help in all aspects of life such as, career, school, and relationships.  

Overall, we can see that there are alternate methods to treat depression aside from medication.  There are many studies as well that have proven to reduce a lot of negative effects from depression, and hopefully more is studied especially during a pandemic where it is said that depression has increased. Yoga and meditation are both something anyone can do and hopefully more people decide to add it to their routine and see if it helps reduce depression.  

 

Source: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "Yogic breathing helps fight major depression, study shows." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161122182357.htm