Prescribing Yoga for Mental Wellness
Yoga is a 5000-year-old practice from India that originated as a spiritual practice. The term “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit word “Yuj,” meaning union.1 Yoga is done by stretching and forming positions with one’s body while achieving self-realization and reducing bodily and mental suffering. Yoga aims to unite an individual’s soul with absolute reality and is rapidly gaining popularity.2 It has become a well-known lifestyle intervention for most psychiatric illnesses.3
Modern yoga practices in the west include physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana). The National Institute of Health in the USA recently categorized Yoga as a complementary and alternative medicine technique.4 In the west, Yoga is often interpreted as a form of exercise and relaxation, while in other regions of the world, it is seen as a more comprehensive way of living that balances the body and thus encourages a healthy mind.
Yoga in Different Populations: A Critical Appraisal
Benefits of Yoga in Nonpsychiatric Populations
In patients with certain neurodegenerative diseases, Yoga has possible beneficial effects on memory, anxiety, depression, and stress.6, 7 Because many case studies lacked a control group, it is difficult to say whether the outcomes are attributable to the yoga intervention. Some research used yogic intervention in conjunction with medicine, physical activity, or soothing music to study changes in biological markers, making it challenging to quantify the impact of Yoga alone.8 Because of these limitations, the effects of Yoga on mental health warrant further extensive research.
Yoga has physiological benefits, too. A study that trained the participants in yoga poses, breathing techniques, and relaxation revealed a statistically significant increase in the vital capacity of smokers, people with asthma, and those without any underlying lung disease.9 In a different study, young adults were enlisted and given the option of enrolling in the control group’s two one-hour yoga sessions per week for five weeks or being put on a waitlist. It found that the yoga group had lessened anxiety and depressive symptoms and also mentioned a decrease in weariness and levels of pessimism.10
Yoga enhances mental wellness in those with mental illness and healthy individuals. Yoga significantly increased psychological well-being and positive mental health among healthy individuals compared to no intervention, according to a systematic review of 17 randomized controlled trial (RCTs).11 In a study among healthy volunteers conducted in Japan, salivary amylase was checked before and after Yoga.12 A decrease in salivary amylase indicated a reduction in sympathetic response and signified the ability of Yoga to reduce immediate and long-term anxiety.