According to the results of a clinical study, just one hot yoga session a week can help relieve symptoms of depression.
The trendy workout, a favorite of celebrities such as Meghan Markle and Drew Barrymore, involves performing poses and breathing exercises in hot and humid conditions.
It is practiced in a heat of 40.5 degrees Celsius, which causes profuse sweating.
A study has now found that adults with moderate to severe depression who participated in the sessions experienced a “significantly greater” reduction in depressive symptoms compared to a control group.
The trendy workout, favored by celebrities such as Meghan Markle and Drew Barrymore, involves performing poses and breathing exercises in hot and humid conditions
During the eight-week test period, 80 participants were divided into two groups: one group received 90-minute hot yoga sessions and a second group was placed on a waiting list.
Participants in the hot yoga group were required to attend at least two classes per week, but attended an average of 10.3 classes over eight weeks.
The analysis found that nearly two-thirds of hot yoga participants experienced a 50 percent or greater reduction in their symptoms, compared to just 6.3 percent of waitlist participants.
The researchers also found that 44 percent of participants in the hot yoga group scored so low that their depression was considered in remission.
The team said depressive symptoms decreased even in participants who received only half the prescribed yoga dose – suggesting that hot yoga sessions as little as once a week may be helpful.
Markle took a public yoga class in 2019 to get rid of her jet lag (pictured). The class began shortly after she arrived in New York City to watch her friend Serena Williams at the US Open. It took place in an eco-conscious studio specializing in hot yoga classes
In 2016, Barrymore shared a makeup-free, sweaty selfie of herself lying on the floor after a hot yoga session, her damp hair plastered to her forehead and neck.
Dr. Maren Nyer, lead author of the study from Harvard Medical School, said: “Yoga and heat-based interventions could potentially transform the treatment of patients with depression by providing a non-drug approach with additional physical benefits as a bonus.”
“We are currently developing new studies with the aim of determining the specific contribution of each element – heat and yoga – to the clinical effects we have observed in depression.”
The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Source link
Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
