Quick links to other pages on this site | Still can't find it? see Site Index Brad Nettles/StaffRachel Glowacki leads Melissa Brandts first-grade class in yoga exercises at Sullivans Island Elementary School.

Rachel Glowacki wears black yoga pants and a peaceful smile, poised to show 50 adults some basic yoga breaths and stretches. But before they start, she issues a note of caution.

For centuries, yoga has been integral to Hinduism, Buddhism and other world religions although the practice of yoga appears to originate before those faiths. Scholars are not certain about the precise origins of yoga, which predates written history.

Archaeologists have discovered stone carvings of figures in what appear to be yoga positions in the Indus Valley dating back 3,000 years or more.

The written term first appears in the oldest sacred Hindu texts, the Rig Veda, around 400 B.C. Buddha also stressed meditation and the use of physical postures.

Hindu monks brought yoga to the West in the late 1800s. In the 1980s, yoga became popular as a system of health exercises.

In Sanskrit, the term means to join or yoke together. What is commonly referred to as yoga in the U.S. often is a system of breathing, stretching and exercise techniques used to unite the mind and body.

Today, there are more than 100 schools of yoga used throughout the world.

Sources: American Institute of Vedic Studies, American Yoga Association, Yoga Journal

Nothing incorporates a religion, says Glowacki, teacher and partner at Kids Yoga Journey.

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Does yoga violate religious freedoms in public schools? Local teachers say it doesn't have to

Washington, Jan 27:

Yoga the 5,000-year-old Indian meditative practice may have positive effects on major psychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia and sleep problems, according to a review of over 100 studies.

A systematic review of the exercise on major clinical psychiatric disorders by Indian origin researchers found yoga has positive effects on mild depression and sleep complaints, even in the absence of drug treatments, and improves symptoms associated with schizophrenia and ADHD.

The review focusing on 16 high-quality controlled studies looked at the effects of yoga on depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, sleep complaints, eating disorders and cognition problems.

However, yoga has become such a cultural phenomenon that it has become difficult for physicians and patients to differentiate legitimate claims from hype, researchers said in a statement.

Our goal was to examine whether the evidence matched the promise, they wrote in the study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Researcher P. Murali Doraiswamy, professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University Medical Center, US, explained that the emerging scientific evidence in support of yoga on psychiatric disorders is highly promising and showed that it may not only help to improve symptoms, but also play ancillary role in the prevention of stress-related mental illnesses.

Biomarker studies

The review found evidence from biomarker studies showing that yoga influences key elements of the human body thought to play a role in mental health in similar ways to that of antidepressants and psychotherapy.

One study found that the exercise affects inflammation, neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, lipids, growth factors and second messengers.

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'Yoga may help in depression, sleep and psychiatric problems'

Washington, Jan 27 (IANS) Yoga has shown promising results in in major psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, ADHD and sleep complaints, say findings from a review of over 100 studies.

Emerging evidence in support of the 5,000-year-old Indian practice is "highly promising" and showed that yoga may not only help to improve symptoms, but also may also prevent stress-related mental illnesses, said P. Murali Doraiswamy, professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke, who co-authored the study with Meera Balasubramaniam.

Yoga has positive effects on mild depression, affecting more than 350 million people globally, says WHO and sleep complaints, even in the absence of treatments, and improves symptoms tied to schizophrenia and ADHD which is linked with inattentiveness, over-activity, impulsivity, among children, the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry reports.

Yoga is a popular exercise and is practiced by 15.8 million adults in the US alone, according to a survey by the Harris Interactive Service Bureau, and its holistic goal of promoting psychical and mental health is widely held in popular belief, according to a Duke statement.

"However, yoga has become such a cultural phenomenon that it has become difficult for physicians and patients to differentiate legitimate claims from hype. Our goal was to examine whether the evidence matched the promise," said Doraiswamy.

The review by Duke University Medical Centre of more than a 100 studies, focusing on 16 high-quality controlled studies looked at the effects of yoga on depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, sleep complaints, eating disorders and cognition problems.

Benefits of the exercise were found for all mental health illnesses included in the review, except for eating disorders and recognition problems as the evidence for these was conflicting or lacking.

Yoga was found to influence key elements of the uman body thought to play a role in mental health in similar ways to that of anti-depressants and psychotherapy.

One study found that the exercise affects neurotransmitters, inflammation, oxidative stress, lipids, growth factors and second messengers.

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Yoga shows promise in pyschiatric cases

If you need a reason to unroll your yoga mat and strike a pose, a new published review finds that the practice may soothe depression and help sleep problems.

Researchers from Duke University in the US examined results from 16 well-designed studies of yoga's effect on mental illness and found that yoga helped people with depression and sleep problems, even if they didn't take medication. Yoga was also found to help those suffering from schizophrenia and ADHD while on medication.

Most of the studies on depression included subjects with only mild depression, so it's not clear if yoga can help those with more severe forms of the disorder, reports MyHealthNewsDaily. Also, the studies focused on group yoga classes, so the social interaction from the classes could play a role in boosting mood.

The findings were recently published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

A separate study published last year found that yoga may help women cope with depression during pregnancy as well as boost maternal bonding. The findings were published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

Access: http://www.frontiersin.org/Affective_Disorders_and_Psychosomatic_Research/10.3389/fpsyt.2012.00117/abstract

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Yoga may soothe depression, improve sleep

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Yoga does the body good, and according to a new study, it may ease the mind as well.

Yoga has also become such a cultural phenomenon that it has become difficult for physicians and consumers to differentiate legitimate claims from hype, researchers from Duke University Medical Center write in their study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. In order to explore the widely held belief that practicing yoga can relieve mental stress, the team reviewed more than 100 studies on the effect of yoga and mental health.

Most individuals already know that yoga produces some kind of a calming effect. Individually, people feel better after doing the physical exercise, says lead study author Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University Medical Center. Mentally, people feel calmer, sharper, maybe more content. We thought its time to see if we could pull all [the literature] together to see if theres enough evidence that the benefits individual people notice can be used to help people with mental illness.

(MORE: Yoga Can Help Stroke Survivors Regain Their Balance)

Their findings suggest that yoga does in fact have positive effects on mild depression and sleep problems, and it improves the symptoms of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and ADHD among patients using medication.

The researchers focused on 16 studies that recorded the effects of practicing yoga on mental-health issues ranging from depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, sleep complaints and eating disorders to cognitive problems. They found positive effects of the mind-and-body practice for all conditions with the exception of eating disorders and cognition. Those studies involved too few participants or produced conflicting results to draw any meaningful conclusions.

Some of the studies included in the analysis even suggested that yoga might affect the body in ways similar to antidepressants and psychotherapy. For instance, yoga may influence brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters (boosting levels of feel-good agents like serotonin), lower inflammation, reduce oxidative stress and produce a healthier balance of lipids and growth factors just as other forms of exercise do.

(MORE: We Tried This: Aerial Vinyasa (or Upside-Down) Yoga)

Embracing yoga as a complementary treatment for mental disorders is not uncommon. Yoga is a feature in many veterans centers throughout the country, backed by research funded by theDepartment of Veterans Affairs. The Huffington Post reported that many troops use yoga as a form of treatment for PTSD, for example, with companies like Warriors at Ease training instructors in yoga techniques specifically catered to those in the military. A study published earlier this month of 70 active-duty troops found daily yoga eased anxiety and improved sleep.

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Yoga and the Mind: Can Yoga Reduce Symptoms of Major Psychiatric Disorders?

If more of my patients practiced yoga, I would have more time to practice yoga.

So says Dr. Gervasio Lamas, chief of the Columbia University Division of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and he not only prescribes the ancient Hindu practice, but he takes the medicine, too.

As you move into your 50s you get these funny aches and pains. Yoga chases that away, he said. I remember when I was beginning to get up in the morning, different, random, stupid things would hurt. My wife got me to start doing yoga and it all went away.

Lamas primary concern was stiffness in his neck where he holds tension. X-rays revealed that nothing was physically wrong. Yoga, which he has practiced for about eight years, erased the pain. Positions like the downward dog, in which the neck is elongated and relaxed, were particularly effective.

Now Lamas, 61, regularly recommends yoga to his cardiovascular patients and is encouraged with the results.

Take Sally Mertens, 70, who went to Lamas to treat a heart condition. She added yoga to her workout regimen 11 years ago but took it up in earnest about two years ago to help manage her condition and to lower her cholesterol, she said.

Several years ago when I showed up for my regular twice-a-year check up, Dr. Lamas took a look at me and said, Are you sure youre in the right office? You dont look like the other people in my waiting room. Made me laugh. And I loved hearing it. Hes right most cardiac patients dont look as healthy as I do.

Mertens, who lives in Miami, also swims laps about a mile a week but says its only when she misses a yoga session or two that shell notice she feels off her game. I do at least 10 to 15 minutes every morning, in addition to trying to get to class three times a week. I dont come alive in the morning until Ive done at least my minimal routine. Thats the wonderful thing about yoga, you need no special equipment.

Mertens, who is widowed with two grown children and has a doctorate in cognitive psychology, also manages her healthcare through her diet and avoids processed foods.

Like most cardiac patients, I eat heart healthy, she said. Although most of my blood indicators are average, my cholesterol is particularly excellent. Dr. Lamas says my HDL score is one of the best he ever sees. I suspect its the yoga difference.

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Yoga works wonders on cardiovascular health

Getty Images

Yoga does the body good, and according to a new study, it may ease the mind as well.

Yoga has also become such a cultural phenomenon that it has become difficult for physicians and consumers to differentiate legitimate claims from hype, researchers from Duke University Medical Center write in their study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. In order to explore the widely held belief that practicing yoga can relieve mental stress, the team reviewed more than 100 studies on the effect of yoga and mental health.

Most individuals already know that yoga produces some kind of a calming effect. Individually, people feel better after doing the physical exercise, says lead study author Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University Medical Center. Mentally, people feel calmer, sharper, maybe more content. We thought its time to see if we could pull all [the literature] together to see if theres enough evidence that the benefits individual people notice can be used to help people with mental illness.

(MORE: Yoga Can Help Stroke Survivors Regain Their Balance)

Their findings suggest that yoga does in fact have positive effects on mild depression and sleep problems, and it improves the symptoms of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and ADHD among patients using medication.

The researchers focused on 16 studies that recorded the effects of practicing yoga on mental-health issues ranging from depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, sleep complaints and eating disorders to cognitive problems. They found positive effects of the mind-and-body practice for all conditions with the exception of eating disorders and cognition. Those studies involved too few participants or produced conflicting results to draw any meaningful conclusions.

Some of the studies included in the analysis even suggested that yoga might affect the body in ways similar to antidepressants and psychotherapy. For instance, yoga may influence brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters (boosting levels of feel-good agents like serotonin), lower inflammation, reduce oxidative stress and produce a healthier balance of lipids and growth factors just as other forms of exercise do.

(MORE: We Tried This: Aerial Vinyasa (or Upside-Down) Yoga)

Embracing yoga as a complementary treatment for mental disorders is not uncommon. Yoga is a feature in many veterans centers throughout the country, backed by research funded by theDepartment of Veterans Affairs. The Huffington Post reported that many troops use yoga as a form of treatment for PTSD, for example, with companies like Warriors at Ease training instructors in yoga techniques specifically catered to those in the military. A study published earlier this month of 70 active-duty troops found daily yoga eased anxiety and improved sleep.

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Can Yoga Ease Troubled Minds?