Clinical depression is a common illness, with prevalence of current depressive symptoms in the general population of nearly 10% and lifetime diagnosis almost 16%. Yoga offers an attractive option for complementary therapy of depression. The purpose of this study was to examine research regarding the benefits of yoga for depression, to learn to what extent yoga is beneficial as a complementary therapy for this condition. The method used in this study was a systematic qualitative review of interventions obtained from MEDLINE, CINAHL, and ERIC databases. A total of 18 studies met the criteria. Some of the designs utilized by the interventions were pretest posttest, quasi-experimental and randomized controlled trials. It was found that majority of the interventions (17) were able to significantly reduce depressive symptoms in the patients under study. However, several methodological limitations were identified in the conduct of the intervention trials, which future interventions must consider.
Ando, M., Morita, T., Akechi, T., Ito, S., Tanaka, M., Ifuku, Y., & Nakayama, T. ( 2009). The efficacy of mindfulness-based meditation therapy on anxiety, depression, and spirituality in Japanese patients with cancer . Journal of Palliative Medicine, 12, 1091-1094.
2.
Butler, L.D., Waelde, L.C., Hastings, T.A., Chen, X.H., Symons, B., Marshall, J., & Kaufman, A. ( 2008). Meditation with yoga, group therapy with hypnosis, and psychoeducation for long-term depressed mood: a randomized pilot trial. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64, 806-820.
3.
Chen, K.M., Chen, M.H., Chao, H.C., Hung, H.M., Lin, H.S., & Li, C.H. ( 2008). Sleep quality, depression state, and health status of older adults after silver yoga exercises: Cluster randomized trial. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 46, 154-163.
4.
Culos-Reed, S.N., Carlson, L.E., Daroux, L.M., & Hately-Aldous, S. (2006). A pilot study of yoga for breast cancer survivors: physical and psychological benefits. Psychooncology, 15, 891-897.
5.
Danhauer, S.C., Mihalko, S.L., Russell, G.B., Campbell, C.R., Felder, L., Daley, K., & Levine, E.A. ( 2009). Restorative yoga for women with breast cancer: findings from a randomized pilot study. Psychooncology, 18, 360-368.
6.
Danhauer, S.C., Tooze, J.A., Farmer, D.F., Campbell, C.R., McQuellon, R.P., Barrett, R., & Miller, B.E. ( 2008). Restorative yoga for women with ovarian or breast cancer: findings from a pilot study. Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology, 6, 47-58.
7.
Descilo, T., Vedamurtachar, A., Gerbard, P.L., Nagaraja, D., Gangadhar, B.N., & Damodaran, ... Brown, R.P. ( 2010). Effects of a yoga breath intervention alone and in combination with an exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in survivors of the 2004 South-East Asia tsunami. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 121, 289-300.
8.
Franzblau, S.H., Echevarria, S., Smith, M., & Van Cantfort, T.E. (2008). A preliminary investigation of the effects of giving testimony and learning yogic breathing techniques on battered women’s feelings of depression. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23, 1800-1808.
9.
Groessl, E.J., Weingart, K.R., Aschbacher, K., Pada, L., & Baxi, S. ( 2008). Yoga for veterans with chronic low-back pain. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 14, 1123-1129.
10.
Javnbakht, M., Hejazi Kenari, R., & Ghasemi, M. ( 2009). Effects of yoga on depression and anxiety of women. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 15, 102-104.
11.
Kozasa, E.H., Santos, R.F., Rueda, A.D., Benedito-Silva, A., De Ornellas, F.L., & Leite, J.R. ( 2008). Evaluation of Siddha Samadhi Yoga for anxiety and depression symptoms: A preliminary study. Psychological Reports, 103, 271-274.
12.
Krishnamurthy, M.N., & Telles, S. ( 2007). Assessing depression following two ancient Indian interventions: Effects of yoga and Ayurveda on older adults in a residential home. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 33, 17-23.
13.
National Institute of Health (NIH). (2010). Depression. Retrieved May 1, 2010, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/complete-index.shtml
14.
Pilkington, K., Kirkwood, G., Rampes, H., & Richardson, J. (2005). Yoga for depression: The research evidence. Journal of Affective Disorders, 89, 13-24.
15.
Shapiro, D., Cook, I.A., Daydov, 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 Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, 4, 493-502.
16.
Sharma, V.K., Das, S., Mondal, S., Goswami, U., & Gandhi, A. ( 2005). Effect of Sahaj Yoga on depressive disorders. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 49, 462-468.
17.
Sharma, V.K., Das, S., Mondal, S., Goswami, U., & Gandhi, A. ( 2006). Effect of Sahaj Yoga on neuro-cognitive functions in patients suffering from major depression. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 50, 375-383.
18.
Strine, T.W., Mokdad, A.H., Balluz, L.S., Gonzalez, O., Crider, R., Berry, J.T., & Kroenke, K. ( 2008). Depression and anxiety in the United States: Findings from the 2006 behavioral risk factor surveillance system. Psychiatric Services, 59, 1383-1390.
19.
Vadiraja, H.S., Raghavendra, R.M., Nagarathna, R., Nagendra, H.R., Rekha, M., Vanitha, N., & . . . Kumar, V. (2009). Effects of a yoga program on cortisol rhythm and mood states in early breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy: A randomized controlled trial. Integrative Cancer Therapies , 8, 37-46.
20.
Vedamurthachar, A., Janakiramaiah, N., Hegde, J.M., Shetty, T.K., Subbakrishna, D.K., Sureshbabu, S.V., & Gangadhar, B.N. (2006). Antidepressant efficacy and hormonal effects of Sudarshana Kriya Yoga (SKY) in alcohol dependent individuals . Journal of Affective Disorders, 94, 249-253.
21.
Williams, K., Abildso, C., Steinberg, L., Doyle, E., Epstein, B., Smith, D., ... Cooper, L. (2009). Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficacy of Iyengar yoga therapy on chronic low back pain. Spine, 34, 2066-2076.
22.
Yoga Journal.(2010). ‘‘Yoga in America’’market study. Retrieved May 1, 2010, http://www.yogajournal.com/press/yoga_in_america
