Yoga Might Help People Deal with Depression

STATES CHRONICLE – You most probably how relaxing yoga can get, and how much it can do both for your body and for your mind. New studies suggest this activity can be much better than we would have thought, as it could have the ability to ease the symptoms of depression. However, this research is only preliminary at the moment.

Does yoga help people with depression?

On Thursday, the American Psychology Association (APA) held its annual meeting in Washington D.C. Among many topics they discussed, they also looked at the link between yoga and depression, and how much the former can help with the latter.

They developed a study which look at the benefic effects of this practice on people suffering from depression. However, their results haven’t been published in a journal yet. Until then, they can only be regarded as preliminary.

Therefore, researchers recommend yoga to people suffering from depression, but only accompanied by other approved methods of therapy. It should be more effective if it is combined with standard treatments as given by a doctor or therapist.

It should always be accompanied by proper therapy methods

Yoga is not a magical method which cures everything, so people should not suddenly stop taking other kinds of treatment in favor of this one. However, researchers managed to collect enough empirical evidence that it helps people with this condition.

The study in question was led by psychologist Lindsey Hopkins from the San Francisco VA Clinical Center. She had 23 male veterans take part in classes of hatha yoga two times a week for a period of eight weeks. This combines exercise with meditation and deep breathing. When the testing period was over, those patients with high levels of depression had had significantly improved their condition.

Therefore, yoga can be a healthy ‘supplement’ and help people deal with depression. If accompanied by proper therapy, this sport can be a perfect solution to ease symptoms and improve the people’s condition.
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