Mindful yoga for depression: Potential effects and mediating processes

One in five Dutch people will experience depression at some point in their lives, and young women in particular are at risk of developing depression. Although current treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy can be helpful, a large proportion of individuals with depression do not recover (fully) or experience depression relapse at a later stage. Further, some individuals develop chronic depression, meaning that their symptoms persist for more than two years. It is therefore important to develop new interventions that can be added to the current treatment options for depression in order to strengthen its effects.

Based on theoretical considerations and preliminary findings, this dissertation examined whether mindful yoga could be an effective addition to the treatment of depression. Using a variety of methodologies, this project conducted a series of studies to investigate the effectiveness of mindful yoga for depression. The project also investigated potential mechanisms of mindful yoga, including rumination, self-criticism, self-compassion and body awareness. The project’s first study showed that students with elevated scores on depression symptoms reported small but favorable benefits of a mindful yoga intervention on depression. Next, a small-scale pilot study in individuals with chronic depression showed that is it feasible to add mindful yoga to existing treatment. In a large-scale study in young women with depression, mindful yoga appeared to add little to the decrease of their symptoms. Though the mindful yoga intervention did not reduce rumination and self-criticism, it did increase self-compassion and body awareness.