Effect of yoga on depression and anxiety of women referred to yoga clinic

Abstract

Background and Aims:Yoga has been considered a stress decreasing method in treatment of depression and anxiety disorders whose prevalence is unfortunately increasing gradually.The goal of this study is to evaluate the influence of yoga on depression and anxiety in women referred to yoga clinic.Methods:This is a clinical trial study on all persons who were referred to a yoga clinic for women, from July 2006 to July 2007. All new cases were evaluated on admission using a personal information questionnaire, Beck and Speilberger tests, and then divided into two groups of case and control randomly. The case group (n=34) participated in two weekly yoga classes of 90 min duration for two months. The control group (n=31) were assigned to a waiting list. Both groups were evaluated again after two months.Results:The average prevalence of depression in the case group before and after yoga course was 12.82 ±7.9 and 10.79 ±6.04 respectively, a statistically insignificant decrease (p=0.13).However, compared with the control group, the women who participated in yoga classes showed a significant decrease in state anxiety (p=0.03)and trait anxiety (p<0.001).Conclusions:Participation in a two month yoga class is very likely to lead to significant improvement in anxiety of women who suffer from anxiety disorders.This study suggests that yoga can be considered as a complementary therapy or an alternative method for medical therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders.