Depression can be a life-changing medical condition that often requires an individualised treatment plan, professional therapy and sometimes medication. But while antidepressants are considered a first-line treatment, not everyone responds well or is a candidate for them. Now, new research suggests hot yoga may also be an additional strategy worth considering for some people.
The findings don’t mean you should abandon what’s currently working for you in your depression treatment. There’s nothing to suggest that hot yoga can medication or therapy. But it’s fair to consider adding hot yoga to what you’re already doing based on these findings. Here’s why.
What did the study find?
The observational study, which was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, re-examined 2023 data that asked 80 randomised adults with moderate-to-severe depression to take an eight-week community-based Hot 26 yoga class twice a week for 90 minutes each, or be waitlisted for eight weeks and then receive the intervention. Hot 26 yoga is a standardised heated yoga sequence that comes from Bikram yoga.
During the sessions, the exercise rooms were heated to 40 degrees Celsius, and professional instructors guided the participants through the same set of Hatha yoga postures and breathing exercises.
Researchers then examined 65 participants who had completed at least one class and underwent a follow-up psychological evaluation.
The findings get a little technical, but they found that for each hot yoga class a person attended, there was an associated 0.72-point reduction in their Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Clinician Rated (IDS-CR) score (this test is a common way to measure depression severity).
Participants initially had to have an IDS-CR score of at least 23 to qualify. “If their score dropped to 14 or below, they were considered in remission,” explains Daniel Copeland. “That would translate to about 14 to 15 yoga classes over eight weeks. That’s very digestible and empowering.” That’s a little less than just two classes a week.
READ MORE: “I’m A Yoga Instructor And Do These 8 Moves To Open My Hips And Loosen Tight Lower-Body Muscles.”
Why might hot yoga ease symptoms of depression?
There are likely a few things at play here. “Hot yoga exists in a really interesting place between two circles of a Venn diagram,” Dr Copeland says. “Both of these circles – exercise and heat – have been shown to improve depression individually.”
Turning Up The Heat
While exercise has repeatedly been recognised as a way to ease symptoms of depression, the heat element is newer. A growing body of research has found that people with depression tend to have slightly higher body temperatures. By exposing them to heat therapy, like in a sauna, it can ultimately help to “reset” their core body temperature to a lower temperature. This is also linked with lowered symptoms of depression. (One small study published in the International Journal of Hyperthermia found that 11 out of 12 people with depression who did eight weeks of cognitive behavioural therapy and medically supervised heat treatments no longer met the criteria for major depressive disorder after the treatments.)
“I also think behavioural activation is a really important part of the story,” says Thea Gallagher. “One of the hallmarks of depression is that people begin doing less. They withdraw from friends, stop exercising, cancel plans and lose interest in activities they once enjoyed.” But behavioural activation – aka intentionally re-engaging with meaningful activities, even before they feel like it – might also help, says Gallagher. “Committing to a hot yoga class gets someone out of the house, moving their body, interacting with other people and experiencing a sense of accomplishment,” she says. “Those experiences help break the depression cycle and often improve mood over time.”
The heat exposure from an earlier hot yoga class may even help people sleep better at night, says Hillary Ammon. This is notable as poor sleep is a common problem for people struggling with anxiety and depression.
READ MORE: 10 Real Struggles Only Hot Yoga Lovers Understand
Could other heated classes work, too?
Possibly. “One of the next questions we’re looking to investigate is how much value heat is as a factor vs. exercise,” Dr Copeland says. Heated sculpt and Pilates classes could also potentially help reduce symptoms of depression – they just haven’t been studied.
“We are particularly interested in yoga due to the mindfulness component, which has been shown to have antidepressant effects on its own,” Dr Copeland says.
“What’s nice about Hot 26 yoga is that it’s at the same temperature every class, and follows the same poses and breathing schedule,” Dr Copeland continues. “That makes it nice for science.” (And just FYI: If you’re on any medication, Ammon just recommends checking in with your primary care provider before doing any heated class. “Some medications can create a greater sensitivity to heat,” she explains.)
But actually enjoying a class or workout routine matters, too, Gallagher says. “Ultimately, the best form of exercise for depression is often the one a person genuinely enjoys and will continue doing consistently,” she says. “Adherence is one of the strongest predictors of long-term mental health benefits, so finding a movement practice that feels sustainable is often more important than finding the ‘perfect’ workout.”
What’s the upper limit to this?
Dr Copeland notes that people kept lowering their depression scores the more hot yoga classes that they did. But that reduction in score “can’t go on forever,” he points out.
His eight-week study didn’t determine when the benefits stopped, but he says that simply suggests they didn’t study this intervention long enough. “People that continued yoga after the study had significant benefit from their endpoint time,” he says. But people who didn’t continue doing hot yoga after the study was over still had the same lowered score four weeks after the study was over, Dr Copeland says. That suggests the mental health perks of hot yoga may stick around after you’re done with your practice.
Meet the experts: Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical associate professor at NYU Langone Health and cohost of the Mind in View podcast. Daniel Copeland, MD, lead study author, research engineer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a collaborator at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Depression Clinical and Research Program. Hillary Ammon, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety and Women’s Emotional Wellness.
Source: https://www.womenshealthsa.co.za/health/feed
