Therapeutic Effects Of Yoga On Depression

Of the many techniques people use to reduce stress, yoga is among one of the more popular. Although some may believe that effects of yoga are merely physical, there is research that suggests that yoga has direct impacts on one’s mental state. According to Forbes, in addition to the benefits on the heart and blood flow, yoga helps release dopamine and gaba and serotonin (Walton, 2012). All of these are known to create feeling of happiness in a person (K. W. Brown, personal communication, Sept. 7). For this lab, I decided I would try yoga for myself to test the results.

The topic I chose to focus on for my research Masters Project is “Exploring the therapeutic effects of yogic techniques for stress management”. I choose this topic because I am particularly interested in stress and anxiety-related mental and physical disorders with the use of yogic techniques. I also choose this topic as little is known about the beneficial effects of a yoga practice and self-care as an alternative to medication interventions. Within the area of Social Care, the use of yogic techniques can be extremely beneficial through creative approach for both service users and social care workers. The need for alternative approaches to self-care in the field of social care can be achieved through the use of yogic techniques to help with stress management. The health benefits of yoga can help to reduce stress and anxiety, enhancing mood and wellbeing and reduce the risk factors for chronic disorders. Yogic techniques relocate focus and attention to the body and breath and can help to calm anxiety while releasing physical tension. Overall, the use of yogic techniques can be used over a wide population of people, varying in all ages, gender and physical limitations. The need for alternative medicines in which individuals can learn self-care rather than the use of medications is needed. Stress and anxiety falls under the category of non-communicable conditions. They are not infectious but are long in duration and usually slowly progressive. They are estimated to account

Two of the studies found that yoga did not influence the level of depression, while the other three showed a decrease in depression with integration of yoga (citation needed)

Kundalini yoga doesn’t only help with calming the mind and other everyday problems, but also treat many serious medical problems. Kundalini meditation techniques are, “also taught that were specific for treating anxiety, fatigue, stimulating the immune system for treating solid tumor, expanding, and integrating the mind, developing a comprehensive, comparative and intuitive mind, and one for regenerating the central nervous system” (An introduction to kundalini yoga meditation technique that are specific for treatment of psychiatric disorder). This demonstrates how it has been proved that kundalini yoga has many beneficial benefits that one can have if it is practice. Also, when it comes to the method of meditation in kundalini yoga there many forms depending on what area one wishes to be work

Argumentative thesis: Although many people assume medications such as antidepressants are the only way to treat patients with depression, meditation is a better choice of treatment as it prevents relapse in patients that are recurringly depressed, is accepted by a large portion of patients that are typically unwilling to take medication to treat their depression, and rebuilds brain structures affected by the mental illness,

Yoga, according to a study by, Jones, is a “4,000-year-old practice” that incorporates spirituality, breathing methods, and meditation that cultivates techniques to decrease stress factors in order to obtain a state of relaxation through emphasizes on the “body, mind and the breath” (2016). According to, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, approximately 9.5% of U.S. adults (21 million)” have incorporated the used of yoga, whose origins have been rooted in the early history of “Indian philosophy” (2015).

As mentioned previously, the problem of depression disorder requires immediate action from different approaches to pharmacological treatment (Mala et al., 2015). According to Karpati, Giacosa, Foster, Penhune, & Hyde (2015), dance movement therapy (DMT) allows for consistent practicing of sensorimotor skills, which are important in the study of the human brain plasticity and the interaction between the brain and behavior. The studies show evidence of the reliability of DMT on health-related areas, particularly on the treatment of depression disorder (Karpati et al.,2015). Dance movement therapy has been practiced in more than 35 countries around the world, treated people who suffered from depression and other correlated problems as anxiety

Since meditation and breathing techniques can be done at the exact moment stress has occurred , meditation and relaxation plus breathing techniques correlate with decreasing stress around the brain. Common types of neurological side effects of stress are headaches and dizziness, so through different types of meditation techniques, Mind and Body Therapies could help with attention disorders and reducing depression,“...long-term meditation practice is associated with an enhancement of cerebral areas related to attention. From a clinical viewpoint, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has shown efficacy for many psychiatric and physical conditions and also for healthy subjects, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is mainly efficacious in reducing relapses of depression in patients with three or more episodes”(Chiesa & Serretti, 2010, p. 1239-1252 ). Mindfulness meditation, or paying attention in a specific way, is able to calm the body down, which enhances the body's ability to concentrate creating a better thinking atmosphere, and decreasing depression by calming down the body which decreases a depression relapse. Another type of Mind and Body Therapy is relaxation and breathing techniques that are also used with reducing stress. Other than meditation there are, relaxation and breathing techniques which utilize awareness of breathing rate, rhythm, and volume. Often breathing techniques are used to minimize physiologic responses to stress, possibly by increasing parasympathetic response” (Wahbeh, Elsas, & Oken, 2008, para 2). The breathing techniques are able to create a more calm nature, which is able to decrease the stress that is surrounding the brain. A simple exercise like deep breathing can be done everyday and anytime without having to go to a yoga class, which is why it is so beneficial because it helps at

Diversity in yoga including type, intensity, and duration are what play significant roles in the levels of perceived health benefits in comparison to traditional exercise. Thus, far stress reduction seems to be the most proposed benefit associated with yoga therapy, even though time constraints are the most common barrier. Due to the foreseen benefits of participating in yoga practice, this should generate an increase on the need of yoga to improve overall health status.

“Yoga can supposedly improve depressive symptoms and immune function, as well as decrease chronic pain, reduces stress, and lower blood pressure. These claims have all been made by yogis over the years, and it sounds like a lot of new age foolishness. Surprisingly, however, everything in that list is supported by scientific research.”(psychologytoday.com) The main struggle in yoga is to overcome the challenge, each pose is challenging, and your goal is to breathe and remain calm throughout the struggle and to find your inner peace and keep going. This is a strong concept to conquer; the mind of course often does whatever it wants. The true gain one finds is when one does overcome the struggle; it is the process where one benefits. Studies have shown a correlation between yoga and how one handles stress.

I have gone through bouts of depression where it is even hard for me to leave the bed, but when I practiced yoga it released me from the depression. Not to say after one yoga class that I was suddenly not depressed, but the intentionality that I practiced with helped me feel normal. My consistent yoga practice pushes me farther and farther out and away from depression. It brings me closer to becoming more intentional with everything I do in life. Yoga helps me to become more present and helps me focus on my mind on my spirit in times of tasking physical work. It brought me to presence in the moment, leading me to become more of the person I want to be. Furthermore, the connection my mind body has is incredible. After I practice yoga, I feel this bliss wash over

This review article was published recently in 2015 in an international journal called Nutritional Neuroscience. Nutritional Neuroscience first published in 1998 and had an impact factor, in 2015, of 2.616 by Journal citation reports. It reports basic and clinical research on the effects of nutrition on the central and peripheral nervous system. Moreover, the authors consist of a collaborative team involving three different countries and reputable universities consisting of Iran, Australia and Italy. The article at hand discusses the ever-growing epidemiological problem of depression. The WHO Global Burden of Disease estimates depression to be the leading cause of long-term disability by the year 2030. However, the use of antidepressants such as serotonin-reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors often involves using multiple drugs, has numerous undesirable side effects and lastly, are marginally effective compared to placebos. As a result, more attention is being given to dietary supplements and their role in attenuating the neurobiological symptoms of depression. The authors have therefore conducted a review of available literature on the probable

However, some people choose not to continue taking their medication due to thinking the medication not being effective and being effective. Yoga therapy has been an alternative to treating mental health. The study was a 6-week yoga intervention to investigate if yoga is associated with reducing depression and anxiety. Individuals who kept up with 6-weeks were effective, compared to regular care alone and for the ones who dropped out. A strength of integrating yoga was that individuals were more aware of their body, and positive and negative

Mindfulness is “a practice of learning to focus attention on moment-by-moment experience with an attitude of curiosity, openness, and acceptance” (Marchand, 2012). Although the origin of mindfulness resides in the principles and wisdoms of Buddhism, recent research has demonstrated the beneficial effects in a multiple of clinical settings, including major depressive disorder and episodes. Previous research has substantiated that MBCT has broad-spectrum antidepressant and antianxiety effects (Marchand, 2012), and mindfulness-based approaches have been efficaciously applied to manage a wide range of stress-related and health problems (Hofmann, Sawyer, Witt, & Oh, 2010). As mindfulness has rapidly gained attention by clinicians, doctors, and other

In today’s environment, many people are suffering with the stress and anxiety of day to day living and are finding themselves unable to cope with life’s little emergencies. Prescription drugs are on the rise due to the increasing need for people to deal with their stress and anxiety. However, many people are searching for ways to be less stressed and live a happy and healthy life without drugs. If stress and anxiety are getting the best of you, then think about grabbing a mat and giving yoga and meditation a spin. With that in mind, this paper will take a look at the benefits of yoga and meditation to create a more peaceful and healthy lifestyle.