University of Pennsylvania study finds yogic breathing alleviates depression

Yogic breathing helps fight major depression according to a study by researchers of the Perelman School of Medicine (PSM) at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).

A Penn Medicine release 22 says: controlled breathing practices show promise in patients who don’t fully respond to antidepressants.

The release indicated that a breathing-based meditation practice known as Sudarshan Kriya yoga helped alleviate severe depression in people who did not fully respond to inflatable water slide antidepressant treatments, quoting reports of the new study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, and added: The study bolsters the science behind the use of controlled yogic breathing to help battle depression.

In a randomized, controlled pilot study, researchers found significant improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety in medicated patients with major depressive disorder who participated in the breathing technique compared to medicated patients who did not partake. More than half of the 41 million Americans who take antidepressants do not fully respond.

This meditation technique, which is practiced in both a group setting and at home, includes a series of sequential, rhythm-specific breathing exercises that bring people into a deep, restful, and meditative state:  slow and calm breaths alternated with fast and stimulating breaths.

…(more)

To read the full article please download our Asana Journal App or purchase Issue 170  February 2017.

Asana Journal App
 

Warning: Undefined variable $author_id in /var/www/html/wp-content/themes/asanajournal/content.php on line 75

Warning: Undefined variable $author_id in /var/www/html/wp-content/themes/asanajournal/content.php on line 80

Warning: Undefined variable $author_id in /var/www/html/wp-content/themes/asanajournal/content.php on line 82
Asana Journal