Yoga treatment for stress and anxiety?

Science shows it: Yoga is an unstoppable ally against stress, anxiety disorders, and depression. This is what emerged from the research conducted by Marc Totin and Anne-Lise Marais. They are respectively doctoral students in sciences and techniques of physical and sports activities and psychology. Both work in COMETE Laboratory, University of Caen-Normandy.

Yoga helps reduce stress

The article, which I recently published Online media is extremely dangerous “conversation”, condensed several ‘meta-analyses’. This means a whole series of scientific studies on the same topic. It is effect yoga to reduce stress.

Yoga has “a feature, compared to other types of physical activity, in combining sequences of movements with exercises for controlling breathing. And regulating attention, “explains Mark Tutin. Thus, when we associate yoga with an exercise mindfulness meditation, We go beyond what any other sports discipline can offer.

Stress is a biopsychological response. “It leads in particular to physiological symptoms, negative thoughts and cognitive slowdown,” adds Anne-Lise Marais. According to the summary of the studies conducted by the two doctoral students, yoga appears to contribute to reducing stress by reducing the amount of cortisol, the main stress hormone.

Adds Mark, “These results remain tentative and require more in-depth studies, particularly with more participants and longer interventions. If you had to try yoga out of all the forms out there, we recommend Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, or Kripalu Yoga. These are the three that They showed the most scientific evidence in this field. »

Yoga improves symptoms of anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression are associated with altered activity of the amygdala. This brain structure is particularly involved in negative emotions.

Again, a meta-analysis of 27 studies showed an improvement in the mental health of children and adolescents after practicing yoga. More specifically about anxiety. With practice, the scientists also showed a decrease in amygdala activity in exercising adults.

Results that bring hope to the youngest, according to Anne-Lise Marais. “It is quite possible to imagine specific recommendations in the case of adolescent anxiety disorders, for example. Just as we systematically recommend physical activity, yoga now has an additional advantage.