Can Doing Yoga Relieve the Symptoms of Depression?

Yoga is a physical exercise that involves different body poses, breathing techniques, and meditation. Regular yoga may help with depression symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating or loss of energy.

It’s no secret that regular exercise can have a positive effect on some of the symptoms of depression, but those symptoms are often the reason that beginning a new exercise program can seem so challenging.

Yoga has become more accessible, with studios in most cities, classes at fitness studios, hospitals, and local community centers, and online options as well.

The classes can be gentle or challenging, depending on the style. This means that people of all fitness levels and abilities may be able to participate. It doesn’t require specialized equipment, and some classes are available at low or no cost.

This means that yoga can be a good option for those looking for an easy way to start moving more.

If you’re considering trying out yoga you should know that it may:

• reduce the impact of stress
• help with anxiety and depression
• be a self-soothing technique similar to meditation, relaxation, and exercise
• improve energy

Many people use yoga to help them manage:

• mental and emotional problems, such as stress, anxiety, or depression
• conditions and disorders, such as ongoing low back pain
• chronic or long-term pain
• overall health and well-being

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How yoga works for depression

A review from 2020 noted that the combination of mindfulness, meditation, and exercise — the three things that make up the practice of yoga — is known to be helpful in reducing depressive symptoms.

Mindfulness helps you enter the present moment, and meditation encourages you to clear your mind. Controlled, focused movements also help strengthen the body-mind connection.

A review from 2023 noted that while more research needs to be done to fully understand the connections, practicing yoga may help to improve depression symptoms — especially if done in combination with medication intended to treat depression.

To improve mood and relaxation

As exercise, yoga is a natural way to increase positive hormones in your body. Yoga practice can increase serotonin, dopamine, and melatonin.

Yoga is also especially helpful because of its gentle, calming, and fluid nature. Each pose is flexible, so people of all levels can practice.

Your instructor will emphasize breathing, concentration, and smooth movement. They’ll also encourage you to focus on positive images to calm the body and mind.

To reduce stress and anxiety

Yoga also increases heart rate variability (HRV), which is the change in time between heartbeats, by increasing the relaxation response over the stress response in the body. A high HRV means that your body is better at self-monitoring or adapting, particularly to stress.

Yoga can also:

• reduce resting heart rate
• lower blood pressure
• ease breathing
• increase pain tolerance

An article from 2012 focused on how practicing yoga may help you to better manage stressors and your body’s stress response.

Styles of yoga

You may be familiar with some yoga poses, such as standing forward bend, but different styles of yoga vary in speed and approach. You can explore which style of yoga works best for you. Many studios will offer discounts or promotions for first-time customers.

• Hatha: incorporates gentler and slower-paced movements, best suited for beginners
• Vinyasa: links breathing and movement together, pacing starts slow and gradually gets faster
• Bikram: takes place in a hot room where you practice a set series of moves to help blood flow
• Ashtanga: focuses on quick, sequenced poses and is more physically demanding
• Hot: in a heated room, but without set poses
• Iyengar: uses props, such as blocks, chairs, and straps, to help you find proper body alignment
• Kundalini: combines repetitive exercise with intense breathing for a more physically demanding exercise
• Restorative: moves slowly through five or six poxes over an hour to help you relax
• Yin: aims to restore length and elasticity to your muscles through seated and back poses

Some studios may even offer a variety of styles, such as Vinyasa in a heated room, or even aerial yoga. Aerial yoga is supported yoga in the air. You do the poses in a cloth hammock.

No matter which type of yoga you try, your instructor will be able to show you how to adjust your body for poses that may be more difficult for beginners.

If you prefer doing yoga in a private setting, you can try one-on-one therapy with a yoga instructor or do yoga by yourself at home while watching an instructional video.

Yoga poses

Some yoga asanas, or physical movements of yoga, can help reduce certain symptoms. For example, you may want to try the Dolphin, Bridge, or Extended Puppy Pose for back pain.

Corpse Pose, in which you completely relax flat on your back, may help sleep issues. Lack of sleep has been linked to depression. If you’re interested in trying yoga to improve sleep, try former Australian pole vaulter Amanda Bisk’s YouTube video.

Gradually tackling more challenging poses, such as the supported shoulder stand or supported headstand, can boost your concentration. This can also be a great way to measure improvement.

If you enjoy exercising alone and at home, try Yoga With Adriene’s all-levels instructional video, “Yoga For Depression.”

What are the pros and cons of yoga?

Yoga complements traditional therapies, such as medication and psychotherapy. But it’s not meant to be a sole treatment.

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Yoga is

• generally safe when practiced properly
• beneficial for people who want to support their overall well-being
• available in many styles for all levels

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Yoga can be

• challenging for beginners and people with limited flexibility
• uncomfortable, depending on the pose
• expensive, depending on the studio

Takeaway

Studies show that yoga may be able to help with stress, anxiety, and depression.

Yoga is a gentle exercise that incorporates meditation and controlled, physical movements. A focus on deep breathing and stretching your body may lead to improvements in depression symptoms, such as sleep troubles, pain, and a loss of energy.

No matter which style of yoga you choose, you can adapt the poses to suit your level.

Many studios, hospitals, and local community centers offer yoga classes. But yoga can be expensive, especially if you want to practice every day. Thankfully, many instructional videos are available online, such as on YouTube, and through apps.