Heated Yoga Sessions Significantly Reduce Depression Symptoms, Clinical Trial Finds

Adults who attended at least one 90-minute Bikram yoga session per week saw significant improvements in depressive symptoms over an eight-week period, offering a potential non-medication based treatment for depression.

• The research, led by Massachusetts General Hospital, involved a group of adults with moderate-to-severe depression taking at least two 90-minute sessions of Bikram yoga in a 105°F room per week for eight weeks.
• Participants who received only half of the prescribed yoga 'dose' also experienced reduced depressive symptoms, indicating potential benefits from just one weekly heated yoga session.
• In total, 59.3% of the yoga participants reported a 50% or more decrease in symptoms, and 44% reached such low levels on the clinician-rated Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-CR) scale that their depression was considered in remission.
• Participants excluded from the study included those with history of bipolar disorder, eating disorders, psychotic disorders, substance abuse, or those who had 'active suicidal intent within the past year'.
• Future research aims to clarify the individual contributions of heat and yoga to the positive effects observed in treating depression.

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