DEAR DOCTOR K: I know yoga has a lot of physical benefits, but is it true yoga can help reduce stress as well?

DEAR READER: Many people initially come to yoga to become physically fit, but they soon discover the psychological benefits. In addition to being great exercise, yoga is one of the best antidotes to the stress of modern living. I won't go as far as saying it is a fountain of youth, but I will say it can be a fountain of calm and equanimity.

The first person I ever knew who regularly practiced yoga was an intense and ambitious young doctor. Any conversation with him was short and difficult; he completed your sentences for you and interrupted you at will. He was very smart and had a lot of valuable things to say, but that didn't mean you looked forward to talking with him.

Then something odd happened. I had a conversation with him in which he didn't interrupt me. A few weeks later, I had another. What was going on? I learned from his wife that she'd suggested, strongly, that he try yoga -- and he loved it.

In addition to physical postures and exercises, traditional yoga incorporates breath control, deep relaxation, meditation, concentration and mindfulness. These mind-body practices counteract stress by evoking the relaxation response.

When we feel stress, our bodies enter fight or flight mode. We release stress hormones that put our brain and body on high alert. This fight or flight response was of great help to our

The relaxation response is essentially the opposite of the stress response. It lowers heart rate and blood pressure and decreases the production of stress hormones. Practicing yoga leads to changes in the mind and body that promote feelings of tranquility and well-being.

My friend Dr. Herbert Benson, a famous meditation researcher here at Harvard Medical School, described the following exercises to elicit the relaxation response. Give them a try to see if they help you to feel more relaxed:

-- Select a word, mantra, prayer or thought. Focus your attention on it in a relaxed manner.

-- When other, everyday thoughts intrude, let them go. Refocus your attention on step one in a relaxed and patient manner without frustration or judgment.

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ASK DOCTOR K: Yoga can be a good antidote to stress

By Traci Pedersen Associate News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on January 26, 2013

Practicing yoga may help relieve the symptoms of several types of mental disorders, according to a new review.

Researchers compiled the findings of 16 significant studies that examined the effects of yoga on mental illness.

The results conclude that yoga may offer positive effects for people with depression and sleep problems even if they dont take medication, as well as for individuals with schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are taking medication.

No benefit was found, however, for people with eating or cognitive disorders.

Yoga research has suggested that the practice positively influences chemical messengers in the brain, inflammation in the body, and other biological factors in much the same way as antidepressants and psychotherapy, said study researcher Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

In one study of 69 older adults with mild depression, weekly yoga sessions reduced depression scores by 40 percent at six months. A comparison group of adults who did not practice yoga, and a group that practiced a form of complementary medicine called Ayurveda, did not show changes in depression scores.

In another study, seven weeks of yoga improved sleep quality and reduced the need for sleep aids in 39 adults who were experiencing insomnia while undergoing chemotherapy. Individuals who did not take the yoga sessions (control group) showed no improvement in sleep.

If the promise of yoga on mental health was found in a drug, it would be the best selling medication world-wide, added Doraiswamy.

The studies in the review did have some limitations, however. Most of the studies that were focused on depression involved patients with mild depression, so its not clear if the results would be replicated for those with more severe forms of the disorder.

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Yoga Helps Relieve Depression, Sleep Problems