Pranayama for Depression and Anxiety?

When I first started practicing yoga, I failed to understand the importance of pranayama. I never practiced it. After practicing for a while, I recognized the power of the breath and started to study pranayama. Now I use it in my daily life all the time -- to focus, to energize, to calm down, to balance. I also 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 this is a topic near and dear to my heart, I've asked Danielle Grilli, the content director over at rVita, to write an article 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 necessary, other times there are other ways to get relief -- including pranayama, dietary changes, and yoga. Danielle has researched this topic and offers up the excellent article:

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 over 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 this particular 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 people 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 long 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, also 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 open, randomized clinical trial, conducted by 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 this study, consisting of 37 participants and taking place over 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 also 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 also suggest 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 date, 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

6. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america.shtml#KesslerPrevalence

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 article.

I've practiced a derivative of Sudarshan Kriya with Kundalini teachers, but I've never practiced in the Art of Living tradition. If you'd like to learn first-hand what it's like, click here for an excellent blog post about learning this kriya from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. For even more information about the technique, click here.

If you can't make it to an Art of Living course any time 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!

Comments

[Generic Allegra]

pranayama practices that emphasize inhalation may be useful. Of course, getting your students to focus on engaging their abdominal muscles to help squeeze additional air out of the lungs on the exhalation facilitates an easier, deeper inhalation on the subsequent breath. Such breathing practices as three-part inhalation, and Ujjayi on the inhalation with normal exhalation, are examples of practices that increase the length of the inhalation relative to the exhalation.

[Buy Cozaar]

If you are looking to sleep or rest, try Ujjayi Yoga Pranayama, it requires enough concentration to pull you mind away and it is great to help fight insomnia. Also, students like doing explosive pranayamas to consciously get rid of stress and use the outgoing breath to throw out all negativity. The first exercise (Yoga Arm Raises) in the Healthy Weight Loss Yoga Set is excellent for this, as is Kapalbhati Pranayama.

[ROD MEYER]

How effective is ECT for depression?Ive always thought there was severe side effects eg loss of memory long term,short term or both.Ive also heard it can be a bit barbaric...so far Ive had no luck with antidepresents and mood stabilisers.Rod Meyer

[depression mood]

Some people describe depression as “living in a black hole” or having a feeling of impending doom. However, some depressed people don't feel sad at all—instead, they feel lifeless, empty, and apathetic.

Whatever the symptoms, depression is different from normal sadness in that it engulfs your day-to-day life, interfering with your ability to work, study, eat, sleep, and have fun. The feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness are intense and unrelenting, with little, if any, relief.

[Dina]

Could someone please email me a good SKY dvd suggestion. Thak you, Dina
dleh222@yahoo.com

[Robin Smith]

Depression is a major ailment in today’s highly stressed life. People from all age groups fall victims to this disease. But now studies have found that regular exercise is an effective way to relieve some major forms of depression.

http://healthfreak2.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/benefits-of-exercise-in-managing-depression/

[D.Trotter]

Thanks alot for the information. Really appreciate it. I've Subscribed to your RSS feed for Further updated. I myself have been suffering from anxiety and just recently had a setback like you and am slowly recovering again.

It's very weird to read your descriptions of morning anxiety and lack of appetite even when only having lunch with family or friends as this is something I am too familiar with and often thought to myself if I was the only one who was going through stuff like this.

Best Regards,
Debra@Anxiety Cures

[Symptoms hormone imbalance]

Thanks so much for this Article ..Yoga is very useful for depression ...

[Diane Cesa]

Hi Sydney --
Thank you so much for sharing your story -- it's a heartening one, especially for those folks out there suffering from depression. I think Kundalini is a wonderful practice for anyone suffering from anxiety or depression. I typically mix Kundalini practice into my regular yoga mix. Whenever I work with clients suffering from anxiety and depression, I typically give them Kundalini inspired kriyas and/or meditations. I highly recommend David's book. It's excellent. Again, thank you for sharing your story!

[Sydney]

I can attest to the ability of pranayama to heal depression. I was a long time sufferer of mild to severe depression from my teens to my late-30's. I was even on antidepressants for 6 years.

When I started practicing Kriya Kundalini Yoga I was taking St. John's Wort for depression. I practiced for about 20-40 minutes at least once a week, and sometimes more when I felt the need.

After some time, perhaps a year, I felt that my depression had gone into remission. I was able to stop taking St. John's Wort. I was also meditating during this time, but the pranayama had a much greater effect than meditating alone would have.

It's 5 or 6 years later, and depression has never returned. Whenever I do feel low or run down, I make sure to start back up with pranayama, especially the bellows breath, and my energy returns within a few weeks.

Thanks for the book recommendation. It sounds like it would be quite useful.

[john]

Thanks so much for this post! I have students who live wtih depression
and anxiety. They say that practice
helps them, but it's very good to have
studies to back this up.

take care,

-John

www.YogaWithJohn.com

[Sandra Dehl]

For a great yogic point of view about depression, see www.depressionadvantage.com

It talks about depression and the role it can play on the spiritual path. the book can be read online at http://www.bipolaradvantage.com/Education/Publications/Books/DepressionAdvantage/SaintFrancis.html

an excerpt:
Many followers of both western and eastern philosophies speak of the duality of the world. This duality is seen by many to be the work of the devil, or to the eastern world, delusion. Disease and health, pain and pleasure, loss and gain—these are all examples of the opposites that hold together our false reality.

I often hear the idea that once we attain enlightenment, we live in bliss. If bliss is defined as great joy, is that just one side of duality? I think something may have been lost in the translation of the original meaning.

If enlightenment brings bliss, why were the saints in this book suffering until the end? I think it is because bliss does not mean happy, it means acceptance that everything is part of the same oneness: as I noted in the chapter The Art of Seeing Depression, “It’s all milk.” Depression is just as much a part of bliss as any other state. Peace, love, and joy are naturally felt, even when you are also experiencing great pain. If you read what Saint Teresa, Saint John of the Cross, or Saint Francis had to say, it will become clear: bliss is not the opposite of duality, it includes duality as a subset.

Picture two small circles next to each other. One is pleasure and the other is pain. The common concept is that we get to a point that is outside of them both and move to another circle where there is only peace, love, and joy. Bliss is incorrectly thought of as beyond the duality, a place where pleasure and pain do not exist.

Now picture a larger circle with the pleasure and pain inside of it. Picture it with all conditions inside of it: pleasure, pain, gain, loss, happiness, sadness, health, illness, etc. If you focus on the big circle, you are in bliss, even though you are still experiencing some of the elements inside. If you lose the perspective of the big circle, you feel only the small circles, and the pain seems more intense.

Some people think that the problem is that we have wrong thinking. They propose that we catch ourselves thinking sad thoughts and replace them with happy thoughts, as if that is going to change the picture. It is the same as focusing on the two small circles. We will never fully understand our condition until we begin to focus on the big circle and find meaning in our experiences. As long as you think that sad thoughts are an illness you will not find the advantage of your condition.

The example of our saints is that they got to a point that they were in the same state of oneness no matter what happened to their body or mind. Saint Francis was in incredible pain at the end of his life, yet had the ability to keep focused on the big picture. It is not that he was somehow separate from his experiences; he experienced them just as you and I would. But since he was focusing on the big picture, he was in bliss. Bliss is the state that is not affected by the duality.

As our saints grew in understanding, they still experienced the pain, but from the perspective of bliss it did not affect them as much. That is why Saint Teresa said: “All these illnesses now bother me so little that I am often glad, thinking the Lord is served by something.”

It takes the perspective of extreme pain for some of us to see the truth of bliss. The Depression Advantage is that we have the chance to understand something that few ever will.