Is heated yoga effective in reducing depression? Findings from new study

A new study has found that heated yoga is an effective treatment for moderate-to-severe depression. The study, which was published in the The Journal Of Clinical Psychiatry, involved 80 participants who were randomized to either a heated yoga intervention or a waitlist control group. The heated yoga intervention consisted of attending heated yoga classes at least twice per week for 8 weeks. The waitlist control group did not receive any intervention.

The primary intervention efficacy outcome variable was change in the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology—Clinician Rated (IDS-CR) score from baseline to post-intervention (week 8).

The researchers found that participants in the heated yoga intervention had a significantly greater reduction in depression symptoms than participants in the waitlist control group. More participants in the heated yoga intervention also achieved a larger treatment response (defined as a ≥50% decrease in depression symptoms).

The researchers also found that participants in the heated yoga intervention rated the intervention positively in exit interviews.

Participants rated heated yoga positively. Taken together, results suggest feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy for patients with depression and warrant further research using active control conditions.

Reference: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Community-Delivered Heated Hatha Yoga for Moderate-to-Severe Depression, Maren B. Nyer et al, The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, October 23, 2023