You’re in a yoga class and it’s 105 degrees Fahrenheit — on purpose. This is the setting for “hot” yoga, or Bikram yoga, which is specific poses and breathing exercises performed in a heated, humid room. And it may help reduce moderate to severe depression, according to a randomized controlled trial published online on October 23, 2023. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Researchers at Harvard Medical School randomly assigned 65 adults with depression, ages 18 to 60, some of whom were taking antidepressants, to one of two groups. People in the first group were told to participate in at least two 90-minute hot yoga sessions (at a local hot yoga studio) per week for eight weeks. Those in the other group were placed on an eight-week waiting list. Compared to those on the waiting list, those in the yoga group had significantly reduced symptoms of depression by the end of the study, even though they took an average of only one yoga class per week. I did. For example, about 60% of yoga participants experienced a 50% or more reduction in symptoms, compared to 6% of those waiting. This study did not investigate whether hot yoga is better at treating depression than other types of yoga. However, it has been suggested that hot yoga can be used alone or in addition to medications to treat depression. If you have certain medical conditions, such as heart disease, you may be at risk, so consult your doctor before trying hot yoga.
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