The origins of the word yoga come from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means linking together or uniting. By uniting the body and mind, yoga was (is) seen as a way to spiritual liberation.
This article will include:
- About Yoga: spirituality and capitalisation
- Mental health benefits
- Yoga in Depression treatment
- Challenges in Yoga research
About yoga: spirituality vs capitalisation
When you think of the word yoga, what comes to mind?
In your mind’s eye, do you see a traditional Indian Guru practicing yoga in a serene natural landscape? Or maybe you visualize a young and physically fit woman with a healthy glow stretching herself into what looks like an incredibly challenging (and painful) position? These stereotypes represent only a small fraction of the variety of yoga experiences and practitioners. And there are many practitioners, 300 million, worldwide to be exact [1].
The origins of yoga are found in ancient Indian Philosophy. The origins of the word yoga come from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means linking together or uniting. By uniting the body and mind, yoga was (is) seen as a way to spiritual liberation [2]. Nowadays, there are different modern schools of yoga that derive some aspects of the original yoga practice, while simultaneously modifying it to fit different purposes. These purposes include, among other things, making yoga suitable for the busy life of working people, in Europe and America. As part of this, there has been a huge commodification and capitalization of yoga, with yoga class prices skyrocketing, and equipment/clothes marketed as an essential part of one’s yoga experience. To make a point, an extreme perspective would view yoga in the Western world as being stripped off of its spiritual and religious layers, while the commercial and fitness aspects have become more prevalent [2].
Although interesting, in this article I will not dive deeper into the cultural aspects or the changing qualities of yoga. Instead, I will focus on the scientific benefits of yoga practice.
Yoga includes a series of physical poses, asanas, combined with conscious breathing [3]. The physical aspect of yoga in combination with the breathing techniques appear to have not only physical, but also mental health benefits!
Mental Health benefits
Mental health, as defined by WHO, is not only the absence of mental illness, but a state of well-being where an individual realizes their own potential, is able to cope with normal stress in life, work fruitfully, as well as make a contribution to their community [4]. In line with this definition, yoga can be helpful not only in reducing ill health, but also in promoting and sustaining overall well-being by improving life quality and adding happiness.
One study reports the following benefits (through self-assessments): calmer mind, enhanced concentration, mental clarity and reduced stress and anxiety [4]. When practicing yoga, one is encouraged to calmly observe the physical sensations, as well as the thought patterns that arise, especially when doing a challenging pose. Simultaneously, while the physical aspects of yoga release “feel-good” hormones and neurotransmitters, the mind engages in mindfulness and rewriting old unhelpful patterns. When a pose is hard, one is encouraged to go through the discomfort, rather than being negatively triggered by it. This attitude can also be transferred to other challenges in life, resulting in more general well-being! [4] :)
Yoga in Depression treatment
There has also been research about yoga as (complementary) treatment for Depression. A study was conducted to investigate the efficiency of 12-week Mindfulness-Based Yoga Intervention on depressive symptoms and rumination in forty women (age 20 to 64, BDI*). The intervention included yoga and meditation practice at home, in addition to online education sessions. The control group practiced other kinds of physical movement other than yoga, but still had the education sessions. In both groups participants reported decreased depression scores (from moderate to mild depression), and these results were retained at the one-month follow-up. However, rumination decreased significantly more in the yoga experimental group, in comparison to controls. These results were taken as indicators that physical mild exercise improve general health. Yet, the lower rumination scores in the yoga group indicated that the mindfulness, breathing and discomfort-challenge aspects in yoga are very helpful in the treatment for Depression, more than other physical practices [5].
Another study, by Shapiro and colleagues (2007), supports these findings [6]. Significant reductions were perceptible for depression, anger, anxiety and neurotic symptoms. The article stated that: “moods improved from before to after the yoga classes” and that yoga has a potential for Depression intervention as it is cost-effective and easy to implement [6].
{*BDI: Beck’s Depression Inventory}
Challenges in the yoga research
Yoga clearly has the potential of improving well-being, both physical and mental. But as stated by Shapiro et al.: “Despite the popularity of yoga, there is little systematic research on its clinical application to mental or other health conditions and on the processes underlying its therapeutic potential” [6]. Reliable and objective markers for the benefits of yoga are not easy to attain.
Why? Yoga research is challenging as it is almost impossible to isolate the benefits of yoga even in studies with control groups. Moreover, when the mood assessments are self-reports, the possibility of bias is always present. Small, non-diverse sample sizes are also an obstacle. Additionally, the self-motivation to consistently keep doing yoga can also play a role in the benefits that have emerged, and this is something we should keep in mind [7]. Despite these challenges, it is clear that the mental benefits as well as the physical benefits emerging from yoga research are positive, and so deserve more research.
To conclude...
Yoga research can not guarantee yoga to be a magical “fix it all” solution for illness or mental health, but what it does indicate is that yoga should be looked at as a complementary tool for treatment of certain mental illnesses. The physical benefits of yoga as an exercise form are evident, and the focus on mindfulness is proven to increase positive moods. Yoga should be considered as a way to include more mindfulness and happiness into everyday life :)
If you want to try yoga for yourself, you can either go to a yoga studio or find a yoga class online. Yoga with Adriane is a noteworthy, all-level, free youtube channel to check out.
Additional sources:
Free yoga channels on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=yoga+with+adriene
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=yoga+with+kassandra
Benefits of yoga on video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8kV4FHSdNA&ab_channel=TED-Ed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU3HuPNsyG4&ab_channel=watchwellcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4nr4t0AQzw&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
Reference list:
1. SIGNIFICANT YOGA STATISTICS: 2020/2021 BENEFITS, FACTS & TRENDS. (2022). Retrieved
27 February 2022, from https://comparecamp.com/yoga-statistics/#TOC2
2. Demeter, M. E. (2006). The commodification of yoga in contemporary US culture.
3. Büssing, A., Michalsen, A., Khalsa, S. B. S., Telles, S., & Sherman, K. J. (2012). Effects of yoga on
mental and physical health: a short summary of reviews. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine, 2012.
4. Tiwari, G. K. (2016). Yoga and mental health: An Underexplored relationship. The International
Journal of Indian Psychology, 4(1), 19-31.
5. Schuver, K. J., & Lewis, B. A. (2016). Mindfulness-based yoga intervention for women with
depression. Complementary therapies in medicine, 26, 85-91.
6. Shapiro, D., Cook, I. A., Davydov, D. M., Ottaviani, C., Leuchter, A. F., & Abrams, M. (2007). Yoga
as a complementary treatment of depression: effects of traits and moods on treatment outcome. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine, 4(4), 493-502.
7.Varambally, S., & Gangadhar, B. N. (2016). Current status of yoga in mental health services.
International Review of Psychiatry, 28(3), 233-235.