Yogic breathing can help fight depression : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Yogic breathing can help fight depression

NEW YORK: Meditation can help alleviate severe depression in people who do not fully respond to drugs, reports a new study.

Yogic breathing can help fight depression

—Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan



New York

Meditation can help alleviate severe depression in people who do not fully respond to drugs, reports a new study.

Researchers found significant improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety in medicated patients with major depressive disorder who participated in the yogic breathing technique.

The Sudarshan Kriya yoga helped those suffering from depression and on medication when compared to those who took medicines but did not do any breathing exercise. 

 (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

"The study found a promising, lower-cost therapy that could potentially serve as an effective, non-drug approach for patients battling depression," said Anup Sharma, doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania, in the US.

The meditation technique, which is practiced in both groups and at home, includes a series of sequential, rhythm-specific breathing exercises that bring people into a deep, restful and meditative state.

It involves slow and calm breaths alternated with fast and stimulating breaths.

Patients, who practised Sudarshan Kriya yoga, also showed a significantly greater improvement in mood, interest in activities, energy levels.

It also brought down suicidal thoughts and feelings of guilt among other symptoms of depression.

"Sudarshan Kriya yoga gives people an active method to experience a deep meditative state that's easy to learn and incorporate in diverse settings," Sharma added.

Past studies suggest that yoga and other controlled breathing techniques can potentially adjust the nervous system to reduce stress hormones.

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

—IANS

Top News

2 CRPF personnel killed in militant attack in Manipur

2 CRPF personnel killed in militant attack in Manipur

The militants attacked an IRBn (India Reserve Battalion) cam...

Arjuna awardee CRPF DIG officer Khajan Singh guilty of sexually harassing colleagues; faces removal

Arjuna awardee CRPF DIG officer Khajan Singh guilty of sexually harassing colleagues; faces removal

Khajan Singh, who is currently stationed in Mumbai, has yet ...

India win Gold medal in compound men, women team event at Archery World Cup in Shanghai

India win Gold medal in compound men, women team event at Archery World Cup in Shanghai

Women's team, who qualified as top seed, drops just four poi...

Emergency slide falls off Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York

Emergency slide falls off Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York

The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew reported a...


Cities

View All