Fans of yoga claim that yoga is proven to provide anxiety relief. Given that an estimated 20 percent of Americans now take some sort of pill for a psychological problem, anxiety relief is a major selling point for yoga. However, is there anything more than anecdotal evidence to support this claim? The next time a yoga student asks you this question, here’s how you can respond.
University of Rochester Study on Cancer, Sleep and Yoga
Cancer patients or those who have previously had cancer are one of the groups of people most at risk for anxiety disorders. As many as 30 percent to 90 percent of people who have had cancer report that they have trouble sleeping at night; while some of this insomnia is due to cancer treatments, others have sleepless nights due to anxiety over their illness.
Harvard Review of Yoga Studies
– A German study in 2005 looked at women with depression and anxiety. After three months of yoga, these women reduced their self-reported depression by 50 percent and their anxiety by 30 percent.
– In a New Hampshire psychiatric hospital, schizophrenic patients who took yoga classes reported short-term improvements in anxiety, depression, hostility and similar mental problems.
The studies mentioned above are just the beginning of research-based proof demonstrating that yoga helps in reducing anxiety. Without doubt, similar studies in the future will confirm what thousands of yoga practitioners have already experienced for themselves.
Useful Resources:
http://therapywithyoga.com/Vivekananda.pdf
https://iaytjournals.org/doi/abs/10.17761/ijyt.18.1.p8171x45n6328107
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