© Anton Gepolov / Fotolia
A breathing-based meditation practice known as Sudarshan Kriya yoga helped alleviate severe depression in people who did not fully respond to antidepressant treatments, reports a new study published in the
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study
bolsters the science behind the use of controlled yogic breathing to help battle depression.In a randomized, controlled pilot study, led by Anup Sharma, MD, PhD, a Neuropsychiatry research fellow in the department of Psychiatry at Penn, researchers found significant improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety in medicated patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who participated in the breathing technique compared to medicated patients who did not partake. After two months, the
yoga group cut its mean Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score by several points, while the control group showed no improvements. HDRS is the most widely used clinician-administered depression assessment that scores mood, interest in activities, energy, suicidal thoughts, and feelings of guilt, among other symptoms.
Comment: Éiriú Eolas is a similar breathing and meditation program that is scientifically proven to help reduce stress while also helping to heal emotional wounds. The program is a powerful framework which aids the processing and releasing of "negative" emotions, and helps people to face the reality of themselves and the world without falling into despair. Visit the Éiriú Eolas
site to learn more about the scientific background of this program and then try it out, free of charge.
Comment: If we're honest, pretty much all of us would do well to practice the above habits more. One other very important one, only half touched on in the above, is to simply get out of your own head more and make more of an effort to understand other people.