Pranayama for Depression and Anxiety?
When I first started practicing yoga, I losed out to understand the importance of pranayama. I never practiced it. After practicing for a while, I recognized the ability of the breath and started to study pranayama. Now I use it in my daily life all the day — to focus, to energize, to calm down, to balance. I additionally use it with my clients. It always amazes me how the simple act of breathing (or altering your breathing) can positively impact your system.
Because that is a topic near and dear to my heart, I’ve asked Danielle Grilli, the composition director by at rVita, to write an exposition about pranayama and its effectiveness for helping those with depression and anxiety. While I’ve never suffered from depression, I often meet folks who have and struggle with it on a daily basis. While drugs are sometimes essential, other times there are other ways to get relief — including pranayama, dietary changes, and yoga. Danielle has researched that topic and offers up the excellent scoop:
Pranayama for Depression and Anxiety? Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY)
Proves Effective
To say that depression and anxiety in the U.S. are a problem would be the understatement of the year. Whereas depression touches
by 14 million adults every year, anxiety disorders clock in as the most common
mental illness with 40 million (or 18 percent) of adults in the United
States suffering the affects of that
specific malady.
As regards alleviation of the symptoms, there are options. However, despite the popularity of
pharmaceuticals (over 147 million anti-depressant prescriptions were written by
US doctors in 2004 alone!!) many society opt out. Whether a matter of tolerance, side-effects,
or a simple dislike of ???medicating???, many individuals suffering with depression
and/or anxiety prefer other, more natural treatments. One such natural and effective treatment is
pranayama or yogic
breathing.
Derived from Sanskrit,
Pranayama means the “lengthening of the prana or breath”. The
practice itself is an ancient method of mindful breathing which has its roots
in yogic methods. Given its enlarged
history, pranayama has, not surprisingly, proven to be an effective treatment
for both depression and anxiety
in clinical trials.
The most influential evidence for pranayama as a viable
treatment for depression derives from research conducted by the National
Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience in India. According to their studies, up to 73 percent of participants with depression saw
a significant improvement when practicing Sudharshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), a pranayama
technique. This method, plus referred to
as “The Healing Breath Technique”, involves breathing with a natural
breath through the nose, mouth closed, in three distinct rhythms. It is, essentially, rhythmic
hyperventilation.
Another
scientists at the Biometry and Nutrition Group, Agharkar Research Institute, compared
the efficacy of SKY against both electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and the drug imipramine. In that study, consisting of 37 participants
and taking place by a period of 7 weeks, researchers found that, although
inferior to ECT, SKY was shown to be as effective as imipramine in the
treatment of depression. During the
study, participants practiced 30 minute daily sessions and once-weekly 75
minute sessions of SKY.
Lastly, although more clinical studies are needed to support the
findings, Sudarshan Kriya Yoga has additionally been shown to be clinically effective
in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress-related medical
illnesses, substance abuse, and criminal rehabilitation. Studies plus propose that regular practice of
SKY lowers levels of triglycerides in the blood, significantly increases
antioxidant capacity, marginally reduces oxidative stress, improves sleep, and
increases an individual???s overall sense of well-being. To term, there have been no significant
side-effects reported.
References
1. rVita: Alternative
Medicine
2. Antidepressant efficacy of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) in
melancholia: a randomized comparison with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and
imipramine. Journal of Affective
Disorders , Volume 57 , Issue 1 - 3 , Pages 255 ??? 259. N . Janakiramaiah
3. Richard P. Brown, Patricia L. Gerbarg. The Journal of
Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
August
1, 2005
, 11(4): 711-717. doi:10.1089/acm.2005.11.711.
4. http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20001101-000022.html
5. http://www.adaa.org/AboutADAA/PressRoom/Stats&Facts.asp
7. Vaishali Vilas Agte, Shashi Ajit Chiplonkar. Alternative
& Complementary Therapies.
April 1,
2008
, 14(2): 96-100. doi:10.1089/act.2008.14204.
A big thanks to Danielle for all of her research and a very interesting exposition.
I’ve practiced a derivative of Sudarshan Kriya with Kundalini teachers, but I’ve never practiced in the Art of Living tradition. whether you’d like to learn first-hand what it’s like, click here for an excellent blog post about learning that kriya from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. For even more knowledge about the technique, go here.
If you can’t manufacture it to an Art of Living course any instance soon, I highly recommend a book from Kundalini yogi David Shannahoff-Khalsa. The book, entitled Kundalini Yoga Meditation: Techniques Specific for Psychiatric Disorders, Couples Therapy, and Personal Growth, offers a variety of Kundalini meditations and kriyas for those suffering from depression, anxiety, addiction, insomnia, and other issues as well as case studies about those who have tried and benefited from these methods. I urge anyone dealing with these issues to supplement their current therapy with these methods. You just might find an alternative that provides relief.
Namaste!
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