http://www.freepressjournal.in/…/deep-breathing-yog…/1029439

Namaste. You may recall our post from a few days ago on this amazing new study demonstrating the benefits of yoga for depression. In this study, a yoga and coherent breathing intervention was used with people with major depressive disorder who were not on antidepressants and in those who had been on a stable dose of antidepressants yet had not achieved a resolution of their symptoms.

Participants were randomised to the high-dose group or low-dose group for a 12-week intervention of three or two intervention classes per week, respectively. The intervention included 90-min classes plus homework.

This study provides evidence that participation in an
intervention composed of Iyengar yoga and coherent breathing
is associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms
for individuals with major depressive disorder, both on and off antidepressant medications.

We wanted to post about this again to draw your attention to a very important aspect of the study. The high dose group and the low dose group showed no significant differences in compliance or in rates of response or remission. Researchers thus concluded that twice weekly classes (plus home practice) may constitute a less burdensome but still effective way to gain the mood benefits from the intervention.

Twice a week, plus a bit of home practice, sounds rather manageable given the significant benefits for major depression, eh?! :)

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