Yoga for Depression and Anxiety!

I apologize for not posting in a while, but I have a flurry of ideas that should keep the blog going for the next couple weeks.

Last week, our Integrative Medicine course director held a journal club where we discussed this article:

Saeed SA, Antonacci DJ, and Bloch RM. Exercise, Yoga and Meditation for Depressive and Anxiety Disorders. Am Fam Physician 2010; 81:8.

To summarize the article, yoga has shown to benefit individuals with depression at a therapeutic level comparable to that of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and some medications (the mainstays of treatment). It has also demonstrated benefit in individuals with anxiety, however there is far less data available on this subject.

I've never really been one for yoga, but after reading this article it really made me consider giving it another shot...not to mention how relaxed I felt after we participated in an hour of yoga followed by a guided meditation. Residency is definitely a busy time and yoga seems to have the ability to help with "de-stressing".

While I wouldn't recommend quitting any current treatment regimens for depression or anxiety without talking to your doctor, if you suffer from either of these, consider adding yoga as an adjunct.

Namaste, right?

Paddle board yoga can be fun too :)

- Lindsey