Our sporting practice is of interest in many ways. It influences both our physical health, through its benefits on our sleep, our joints, our muscles and even our heart, as well as our mental health, as a reducer of stress, anxiety and regulator of our moods. But once the decision to integrate into daily sport, which practice to choose for what benefits ?
For those who want to slip their practice between two chores from home, without drawing too much on their reserves, without straining their cardio and focusing on rest and relaxation, yoga seems to be the ideal sport.
Yoga and post-traumatic stress disorder
In a new study published in Psychiatry Research in October 2024, researchers were interested in the benefit of yoga on depressive symptoms, particularly in the context of patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. “Yoga is an increasingly popular complementary intervention for reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and associated comorbidities, but its safety and treatment effectiveness are not firmly established,” the researchers write.
The study thus collected data from twenty previously published randomized controlled trials meeting the authors’ criteria. This analysis showed that yoga is generally a safe and well-tolerated intervention which may improve depressive symptoms in participants with post-traumatic stress disorder and, to a lesser extent, also improve symptoms of the disorder. The results suggested that trauma sensitive yoga, kundalini, satyananda yoga and holistic yoga were among the types of yoga that provided the most benefits. Yoga interventions also reduced depression symptoms compared to control groups, and these reductions were maintained over time.
Yoga and the symptoms of depression
Previous studies have already investigated the impact of yoga on depressive symptoms and depression apart from post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2017, Ledetra Bridges and Manoj Sharma published the results of their research in the journal Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In this study, the two researchers also analyzed the results of several published experiments. In total, 23 interventions published between 2011 and May 2016 were evaluated. The study provided “positive results of yoga interventions in reducing symptoms of depression” and people with high levels of depression and/or medical conditions benefited from yoga treatment.
In 2023, another study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry bringing together 34 studies including more than 2000 participants had also confirmed the benefit of yoga in the treatment of depression. “Yoga may improve depressive symptoms and anxiety in patients with major depression,” the researchers conclude. Furthermore, this therapeutic approach is “widely accepted by patients”.