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Effects of Yoga on Mental Illnesses Sarah Hammons

Student ID: #001000904

C456: English Composition II for Secondary Educators

February 15, 2021

Yoga is a widely practiced Eastern breathing and posture exercise that promotes positive

thinking and a healthy lifestyle. In today’s world, stricken by pandemic, social media reliance, and other stressors, it is difficult to find ways and moments to reflect on oneself and find moments of peace in the chaos we are entangled in. Mental illness has always been a prominent issue in society; however, since the beginning of the pandemic it has been on a steady incline leading experts to find alternative ways to treat such illnesses. Research suggests that mindfulness-based yoga is the best way to treat mental illness because it eases symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reduces anxiety, and alleviates struggles associated with depression disorders. Anxiety can be defined in multiple ways and varies person to person. Whether it’s the jittery feeling in one’s stomach before a big test or the constant feeling of nervousness, the uneasiness one feels due to anxiety is universal. Anxiety can leave one feeling emotionally and mentally drained, physically weak and even ill. Mental illnesses such as anxiety usually begin in adolescence. In her article, Adolescent Students' Problems and Yoga as a Preventive Measure, Mala, defines the time of adolescence as, “a stage of physical, social, sexual development and growth,” she continues to say that during this confusing stage, many adolescents face difficult issues and problems begin to arise (Mala, 2018). After thoroughly summarizing adolescent issues, Mala lists multiple types of mindfulness and the effects they can have on a young psyche. For instance, dhanurasana (more commonly known as the bow pose), is a yoga pose in which one is face down and reaches their arms back to hold their ankles, leaving one to somewhat balance on their stomach. This pose is known to relieve multiple adolescent stressors, increase confidence and concentration. Though it is not always appropriate to do such stretches in a school environment, there are multiple mindful alternatives that can be practiced. The International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education published a study in

which they followed multiple groups of fifth graders and measured their anxiety levels before and after a test, both with integrated mindfulness practices and without. Mindfulness yoga is not always an act of moving the body. In the studies done, students were instructed to do simple activities prior to testing, like coloring and drawing while focusing on their breathing and being completely aware of their emotional state in an attempt to control their anxieties. The journal found that the students who practiced mindfulness prior to a test had overall higher scores and felt less anxious prior to the test while those who did not scored at or below average and maintained high levels of anxiety. Cooper and Lambert found that “[Students] practiced seated breathing techniques and body meditations. They also practiced bringing mindful attention to their thoughts and emotions. Students who initially showed high levels of anxiety at the beginning of the study showed significant reduction in anxiety levels and negative behavior at the end of the study.” (Cooper Stapp & Berry Lambert, 2020). As adolescent students continue to develop and make decisions that will affect the rest of their lives, unfortunately some will be faced with a multitude of other mental illnesses, such as depression. Perceived as laziness or over exhaustion to some, depression is the leading cause of suicide. The Mayo Clinic defines depression as “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018). Many mental health experts believe that the best treatment for such illness are therapies and/or medications; however, some experts have found that the struggles commonly associated with depression can be greatly reduced with the practice of mindfulness yoga. In her article, The Science of Self Care (And Yoga), Risher summarizes that yoga can simultaneously stimulate one’s “brain, heart, and bones” (Risher, 2018). Published in the American Academy of General Practice journal, multiple psychologists reviewed and summarized a plethora of independent studies on the effectiveness of yoga as a

treatment for depression. The meta-analysis found that regardless of the type of yoga practiced, depression was greatly reduced (Saeed, Cunningham, Bloch. 2019). Another study created and conducted by Khalsa et al and published in the journal of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, found that after six weeks of mindfulness yoga therapy the 22 participants felt that the symptoms of their anxiety and depression had been greatly alleviated (Khalsa et al, 2015). Some evaluations even found that panic disorders related to participants’ anxiety disorders greatly decreased. The effects yoga has on mental health don’t begin and end with depression and anxiety. Similarly to depression and anxiety adolescence brings upon social challenges. In the 21st century we are consumed by social media, resulting in beauty standards that many feel need to be met. The images of socially accepted beauty resonate with many adolescents in dark ways, leading to the development of eating disorders. There are multiple types of eating disorders, the most common being; anorexia (starving oneself), bulimia (usually binge eating then purging), and binge eating disorder (consuming copious amounts of food). Eating disorders are more commonly found among women and young girls, sadly beginning at the ages of 15-16; however, this is not to say that men and young boys cannot suffer from eating disorders. Yoga has been shown to improve one’s self-confidence to a point of no longer feeling the urge to harm themselves. Sarahjoy Marsh is a certified yoga teacher with a Masters in counseling, she’s been published multiple times but recently in Counselor: The Magazine for Addiction Professionals. In her article, Marsh discusses a small and controlled trial she ran within a mental health outpatient treatment facility for clients with eating disorders. In the beginning of her trial she had a group counselling session in which clients made statements such as;

“I've been chubby since I was a kid. Everyone criticized me, including my parents. For fiftyeight years, I've hated my body. I've turned to food to help me with this hatred, but it doesn't work. The shame voice only goes away for a moment.” and “I've tried everything. Every diet. Compulsive exercise. Good behavior. Bad behavior. Even when I lost weight, I wasn't able to be happy in my body. I've been on a downward spiral now for months. I don't know what happened.” (Marsh, 2018). These statements, though very sad, show the struggles one faces with such a terrible mental illness. Marsh let her clients know that she would be conducting an 8 week trial in which they would participate in 60 minutes of yoga weekly while also having regular group counseling sessions. Marsh examines each layer of the Pancha Maya Model of mindfulness yoga, in summary it is a practice of yoga that exercises the body’s nervous system, respiratory system, and circulatory system, “providing relief for the physical body brings peace to the inner body...lessening the painful impressions from eating disordered thinking” (Marsh, 2018). At the end of the 8 week period, Marsh conducts her last group counselling session in which the statements of the same clients are completely different and immensely more positive; “I no longer believe my shame voice. Not only is it not helpful, it's not truthful. I am amazed that I can be compassionate with myself after all these years.” and “I am proud of myself for learning to nurture me! I now take the time to breathe, hydrate, stretch, and to be kind toward my body and my brain.” (Marsh, 2018). In addition to eating disorders, yoga is commonly used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a persistent and usually lifelong emotion and mental strain caused by physical or psychological occurrence(s) in one’s life. PTSD is most commonly associated with lack of sleep, social isolation, even irritability and hostility. These

symptoms can lead one into a depressive episode, which only causes more stressors on the mind and body. As previously stated, many mental health experts will agree that the best course of treatment is a combination of therapies and a cocktail of medications. However, a trial published in the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapy journal, women who suffer from PTSD due to the loss of their child through a stillbirth, participated in an online-based yoga class for 12 weeks (Huberty et al., 2020). The women were unknowingly placed into either a control group or an intervention group, all women received the same yoga mat and stretching band. Those in the control group were instructed to do basic toning and stretching exercises, while those in the intervention group were instructed to do numerous mindful yoga poses and breathing exercises. The women committed to practicing yoga for 60 minutes every week and were evaluated by psychologists before and after the trial. Conclusions from the trial found that women who participated in the intervention group had a much better quality of life after finishing the 12 weeks. Huberty et al, stated that, “online yoga is a feasible and effective strategy in reducing depression symptoms and symptoms of PTSD.” (Huberty et al., 2020). Unfortunately, women are not the only victims of post-traumatic stress disorder. The most commonly discussed group with PTSD are soldiers who have been deployed overseas during times of war. Unlike other cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, veterans are usually prescribed medication and given no form of therapy. In the study published by Military Medicine, Cushing et al (2018), focused on treating PTSD in veterans who were in post-9/11 conflicts overseas. The participants had to be over the age 18, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, post-9/11 veterans, and be willing to participate in a weekly one hour yoga session for six weeks. Before and after the six weeks, the veterans were analyzed. To remain sensitive to the trauma one faces during war, the sessions were taught by a veteran with yoga

coaching certifications. Additionally, multiple types of yoga were thoroughly researched to find the best possible style for post-combat veterans. The type of yoga Cushing et al (2018) decided on was a mindfulness based approach known as Vinyasa, which incorporates slight body movements into breathing exercises and meditation. Paraphrasing the conclusion, “This study of a military-focused, trauma-sensitive yoga intervention demonstrated decreased PTSD symptomatology in all three-symptom clusters. In addition, the amount of improvement in the PCL-M scores after the yoga intervention was both clinically meaningful and statistically significant. The intervention also improved mindfulness scores and decreased insomnia, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Thus, the results of this small pilot study are encouraging and show that trauma-sensitive yoga can help alleviate negative mental health symptoms in veterans with combat-related PTSD” (Cushing et al, 2018), meaning that the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder were reduced across the board due to mindfulness yoga with a trauma informed approach. While the findings of this trial did not completely “cure” the veterans of their mental illness, it greatly reduced the stressors they’ve faced due to their PTSD. Many will argue that yoga is only a band-aid solution to mental illnesses. While some yoga therapy experts and other mental health experts will say that yoga should only be used to treat mild cases of depression, it is not unacknowledged by those who created and conducted these studies that more research needs to be done on the topic. Yoga has proven in multiple independent, feasible, and controlled trials to alleviate symptoms associated with mental illnesses such as; PTSD, anxiety disorders, and depression disorders. Through this research there can be no doubt that yoga is an exceptional tool to aid in the treatment of mental illnesses. Though the data may not extend to those who suffer from severe mental illnesses, again, it has shown to greatly reduce the severity in which one suffers.

Technology and social media will continue to remain prominent in society Coronavirus is not the first pandemic to have shaken the world and it will not be the last, moments of peace are far and few between and mental illnesses will remain on the rise unless experts find alternative ways to treat mental illness that aren’t limited to therapy and medication. Now more than ever it’s hard to enjoy leaving one’s home; the mind cannot heal and find peace if the body is idle. Citations Berry, A., Cooper, A., Lambert, & Stapp. (2020). The Impact of Mindfulness-Based Yoga Interventions on Fifth-Grade Students' Perceived Anxiety and Stress. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 12(5), 471-480. Retrieved January 2021, from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1262566&authtype=sso&custid=ns017578&site=edslive&scope=site Cushing, Robin E., Braun, Kathryn L., Alden, C-IAYT, Susan W., & Katz, Alan R. (2018). Military-Tailored Yoga for Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Military Medicine, 183(5-6). doi:10.1093/milmed/usx071 Huberty, J., Sullivan, M., Green, J., Kurka, J., Leiferman, J., Gold, K., & Cacciatore, J. (2020). Online yoga to reduce post traumatic stress in women who have experienced stillbirth: A randomized control feasibility trial. BioMed Central, 20(1), 173-173. doi:10.1186/s12906-020-02926-3 Khalsa, Manjit K., Greiner-Ferris, Julie M., Hofmann, Stefan G., & Khalsa, Sat Bir S. (2015). Yoga-Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Y-CBT) for Anxiety Management: A Pilot Study. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 22(4), 364-371. doi:10.1002/cpp.1902 Mala, V. (2018). Adolescent Students' Problems and Yoga as a Preventive Measure. Retrieved January 2021, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1184167.pdf Marsh, Sarahjoy. (2016, August). Yoga Therapy for Eating Disordered Patients. Counselor:

The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, 17(4), 36–43. Retrieved January 2021, from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=ccm&AN=116974678&authtype=sso&custid=ns017578&site=edslive&scope=site Mayo Clinic Staff. (2018, February 03). Depression (major depressive disorder). Retrieved February, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007 Risher, Brittany. (2018, June). The Science of Self Care (And Yoga). Yoga Journal, (302), 34-45. Retrieved January 2021, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1184167.pdf Saeed, Sy Atezaz, MD, Cunningham, Karlene, PhD, & Bloch, Richard, PhD. (2019, May 15). Depression and Anxiety Disorders: Benefits of Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation. Retrieved January, 2021, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1184167.pdf...