https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28149064

We are pleased to share a new study with you this morning which aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga on the mental health status of elderly women residing in a hospice.

Forty elderly women were randomly divided into yoga and wait-listed control group. A yoga therapy program of 60 min was given twice a week for 12 weeks. This protocol was specially designed for senior citizens, keeping in mind their health status and physical limitations that included simple warm-up and breath-body movement coordination practices (jathis and kriyas), static stretching postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayamas), and relaxation. Hamilton anxiety scale for measuring anxiety, Hamilton rating scale for depression, and Rosenberg self-esteem scale to measure self-esteem were administered to both groups before and after the 12-week study period.

Overall, results showed improvements in all three parameters: anxiety, depression and self-esteem. Researchers concluded that yoga should be a part of health-care facilities for elderly as it can enhance the quality of life by improving their overall mental health status. It could also provide a healthy and positive alternative from depressing negative thoughts, and give them a sense of purpose and hope.