Yoga can provide an immediate boost to someone who feels depressed, whereas an antidepressant drug can take weeks to kick in — if at all.
The 2017 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association cites studies that support yoga as a natural mood booster.
Lindsey Hopkins, PhD, lead a study on hatha yoga in 23 men with depression.
• Twice a week for eight weeks
• The average enjoyment rating on a one-to-10 scale, given by the subjects, was 9.4.
• After eight weeks there was a significant reduction in depression symptoms.
Another Study Shows Yoga Treats Depression
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Sarah Sahllit, MA, led a study on Bikram yoga’s effect on 52 women.
• More than half participated in twice a week classes for eight weeks.
• The rest was a control group.
• Prior to the study, plus at weeks three, six and nine, the subjects were tested for depression levels.
• Symptoms of depression were significantly reduced after eight weeks in the active group.
A third study, led by Maren Nyer, PhD and Maya Nauphal, BA, showed that eight weeks of yoga twice a week significantly reduced depression symptoms.
Can Yoga Replace an Antidepressant Drug?
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The person who’s able to go to work every day and run a household — yet feels depressed and may even spend a lot of time in bed on weekends due to a very low mood — is the type of person who can benefit from yoga or other exercise as a mood booster.
This person is already functioning. But what about those who are incapacitated by depression, non-functional?
“I am okay with adding yoga — I do it, but it does not and cannot take the place of medication if someone is truly brain depressed,” says Rupali Chadha, MD, former chief of medical staff at Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, CA.
“Brain depression requires medication, and to recommend anything instead is akin to causing harm to a patient.
“Of course, if someone just has a low mood, yoga will work faster because an antidepressant is NOT indicated, and therefore will simply never work (aside from a placebo effect).”
Not all people who are prescribed an antidepressant have true clinical or brain depression.
When I was a personal trainer, one of my clients — who worked full-time, not to mention showed up for her long-term training sessions with me — was taking Zoloft.
I know a busy businessman who traveled a lot — who took an antidepressant for a short while (which had no effect).
But he must have said something to his doctor to get the prescription.
Some doctors WILL prescribe such drugs if a patient reports certain symptoms.
Some physicians have a lower threshold for when to prescribe than do others.
Yoga or any exercise would not have helped my mother during her deep clinical depression. She was incapacitated and could barely do a simple load of laundry. The only thing that worked was a pharmaceutical.
Yoga for Mood Elevation
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At the end of a first-time yoga class, a functioning individual who feels depressed will feel some degree of accomplishment.
This may stem from having performed some relatively simple moves that the individual never thought possible.
If you’re feeling down and don’t like the idea of taking a pharmaceutical, you should consider yoga or at least some other form of structured exercise.
In addition to general psychiatry, 
