Can yoga really help depression and support mental health? New research

Does regularly practicing yoga improve your mental health?

By Steph Green Published December 29, 2024 8:00 AM

two men doing yoga on a pier water outdoors — Asad Photo / Pexels

While many people don’t talk about depression, in 2020, an estimated 14.8 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode, according to the National Institute of Mental Health or NIMH. People explore different treatments and therapies to help with depression, and recently, researchers wanted to understand if yoga could ease depressive symptoms and support mental health.

Yoga is a meditative movement practice with a long and rich history originating in India. This type of exercise involves specific physical poses, postures, and deep breathing. Yoga is undoubtedly becoming more popular. Recent data from Strava reveals that the share of men uploading and practicing Pilates or yoga increased by 15%. With all the known and proven benefits of yoga, researchers wanted to know more about how practicing yoga affects various mental health conditions.

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The research

Man with strong arm muscles holding a blue yoga mat outdoors — Ketut Subiyanto / Pexels

In a review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers assessed 19 studies from six countries involving 1,080 adult participants. All participants had been diagnosed with at least one mental health condition, such as depression, panic disorders, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. For just over two months, participants engaged in weekly yoga sessions lasting between 20 and 90 minutes.

The results

Man doing yoga looking up sitting down in front of trees — Nick Wehrli / Pexels

The researchers concluded that a regular yoga practice had more significant effects on depressive symptoms compared to having no treatment or the patient’s typical treatment. The more often and the longer the yoga practice, the more significant the effects. The researchers stated that movement-based yoga improved mental health and the symptoms of depression for individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and more.

Proven benefits of yoga

Man doing yoga outdoors — abhishek gaur / Pexels

Mounting research shows us the many benefits of yoga, from improving strength, balance, and flexibility to reducing chronic back pain and lifting your mood. Multiple studies show practicing yoga can improve the symptoms of arthritis, which often develops following sports injuries.

The takeaway

forward fold men's yoga — Raw Pixel / Getty Images

This study gives us another reason to consider trying a regular yoga practice to get our bodies moving. This movement practice has stayed popular for so long due to the many benefits, including reducing the symptoms of depression.

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Steph Green is a content writer specializing in healthcare, wellness, and nutrition. With over ten years of experience, she…

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