Yoga for depression

A study shows that yoga can help fight depression. Everyone knows that exercise is good for physical health, but a Boston University study has shown that it can also be good for mental health. The study followed two groups of adults with clinical depression as they completed three months of varying amounts of yoga. At the end of the three months, nearly all the participants reduced their scores on a depression questionnaire by at least 50 percent. The idea behind using yoga to help treat depression is that deep breathing can be calming, which can, in turn, balance your autonomic nervous system. Although the study showed that those who did more yoga improved more, the researchers recommend doing two group classes per week. That amount provided subjects with significant results, while not requiring too much of a time burden. And with yoga, the only side effect is muscle soreness.