Researchers from the University of Karlstad, Sweden recently published a study which shows the regular practice of yoga breathing techniques may be significantly effective in lowering feelings of depression, anxiety and stress.
The study, published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine [1], assessed 103 healthy adults at baseline using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale to measure their degree of anxiety and depression, the Life Orientation Test to measure dispositional optimism, the Stress and Energy Test to measure energy and stress experiences and the Experienced Deviation from Normal State to assess the experience of altered state of consciousness.
Participants were then separated into two groups, with 48 participants instructed to relax in an armchair for 15 minutes each day for 6 days, then daily for the next 5 weeks. Over the same time period, the remaining 55 participants were instructed to practice Sudarshan Kriya Yoga and related practices derived from the Yogic Science of Breath for 1 hour each day, 6 days per week. Exercises involved cyclical slow, normal and fast breathing techniques with associated movements.
At the conclusion of the 6 week study, participants were reassessed for baseline characteristics. Overall, those in the group that practiced yoga were found to be experiencing significantly lowered degrees of anxiety, depression and stress, and also an increased degree of optimism relative to baseline and their control group (p<0.001). Further subjective assessments showed participants in the yoga group to consider the practice of yoga as a positive experience in their lives that induced beneficial effects.
More large scale studies are required to further validate these results, but the initial indications look extremely promising. Yoga improving stress, depression and anxiety? Now that’s something to smile about.
1. Kjellgren A, Bood SA, Axelsson K, Norlander T, Saatcioglu F: Wellness through a comprehensive yogic breathing program - a controlled pilot trial. BMC Complement Altern Med 2007, 7:43.
