Weekly hot yoga reduced depressive symptoms by more than 50 percent

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New research from Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts General Hospital published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has found that hot yoga can reduce symptoms of depression by 50 percent or more.

Weekly hot yoga over eight weeks helped people reduce their depressive symptoms, allowing 44 percent of people in the study to be considered in remission from their depression.

The randomized clinical trial included 80 participants with moderate to severe depression. Researchers divided the participants into two groups. One group was prescribed at least two 90-minute yoga sessions weekly. The other group was put on a waiting list. On average, the yoga participants attended ten yoga classes over the eight weeks.

About two-thirds of the yoga group reported a significant decrease in their depression, compared to 6.3 percent in the waitlist group.

What could cause hot yoga to have such a powerful antidepressant?

Hot yoga combines three potentially therapeutic components:

1) mind-body connection

2) physical exercise and movement

3) heat

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