Yoga

Yoga for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Cramer H, Lauche R, Langhorst J, et al. · Depression and Anxiety, 2013

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined randomized controlled trials of yoga for people with depressive disorders or elevated depression levels. Twelve trials with 619 participants were included, three of which had low risk of bias. Compared with usual care, yoga showed moderate evidence of short-term reductions in depression severity, and there was more limited evidence that yoga reduced depression compared with relaxation and with aerobic exercise. There was also limited evidence of short-term effects on anxiety compared with relaxation. Effects appeared both in people with diagnosed depression and in those with elevated symptoms. The authors suggest yoga could be considered an additional option alongside other treatment. Limitations: the trials were few and varied, long-term effects could not be analysed, and none of the trials reported data on side effects.

Our summaries describe what each study found. They are not medical advice, and the practices at Halcyon are not a treatment for any condition.