“Yoga Can Give You Super Powers You Never Knew You Had!”
Let’s just be very clear first off; Depression needs to be taken seriously and in my personal opinion shifting perspectives against the root cause of the depression is the fastest ticket to overcoming depression (and yes, yoga can help with this process). For many people the core belief that causes depression is that they’ll never amount to anything in life because their past was filed with pain, or no one believes in them.
No Matter What, Depression Always Is An Effect To A Cause, And That Cause Is The Anchor That Continues To Weigh People Down!
Depression is a widespread disorder in the US and affects millions every year. The main treatment for depression in today’s world has been antidepressants, but the drug often does not yield any response in people, while others may experience mild alleviation of symptoms along with severe side effects. Hence, several studies are being conducted to find alternative ways of treating
Yoga is a form of exercise that involves both the body and the mind and is currently used by many for alleviation of stress and back pain.
Many studies have indicated the beneficial effects of yoga on depression. Different kinds of research was presented at the American Psychological Association’s 125th Annual Convention at Washington, D.C. Below are some of the studies that were discussed at the convention.
Study 1
A study was carried out by Sarah Shallit and colleagues at Alliant International University in San Francisco, California.
The study had 52 female participants between the ages of 25 to 45 years. Out of these, about 50 percent of the participants were chosen at random and given Bikram yoga (a type of yoga with 26 postures) sessions, two times per week, for eight weeks.
The remaining half of the participants were used as a control group; they did not get to practice yoga. The levels of depression in both the groups were noted down at 4 different time periods during the study, i.e., the baseline of the study, at 3 weeks, at 8 weeks, and at one week after yoga sessions stopped.
The study found that as compared to participants in the control group, those who had yoga sessions showed marked decrease in depression symptoms.
Study 2
This study was conducted by Dr. Lindsey Hopkins and her colleagues at California’s San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The study had 23 male veterans as subjects and it lasted for a period of eight weeks. Each participant in the study practiced a form of yoga called Hatha yoga two times every week. Hatha yoga (my personal favourite) involves meditation, physical workouts, and breathing exercises. It was found that the participants with elevated levels of depression showed major decrease in the symptoms after the 8 weeks were over.
It was also found that the participants enjoyed doing this form of yoga greatly.
Study 3
The final study was conducted by Nina Vollbehr and her colleagues at the Center for Integrative Psychiatry, Netherlands.
This study showed the beneficial effects of yoga on not just depression, but also on anxiety and stress. The study had 12 adult participants and each had been a sufferer of depression for 11 years on average. The participants had to undergo two and a half hours of yoga sessions, once per week for a total of nine weeks.
The anxiety, depression, rumination, stress, and worry levels were checked and recorded before and immediately after the yoga session was over. These were also assessed 4 months after the study. It was found that anxiety, depression, and stress levels reduced across the course of the study and that they remained so 4 months later. Worry and rumination did not improve during the course of the yoga program, but these symptoms reduced 4 months later.
So in conclusion can yoga be a great sidekick in the recovery over depression? Can yoga bring forth new perspectives in how you see your core beliefs related to depression, and create an inner strength in you that can pull you to a new reality? Yes!
