Effects of Yoga on Depression in Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive disease which influences the brain, spinal cord, and other parts of nervous system and women are diagnosed with the disease 2 to 3 times more frequently than men. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influences of yoga on depression in women with multiple sclerosis. Thirty women with multiple sclerosis from Isfahan multiple sclerosis Association volunteered to participate in this study. They were randomly divided into two groups of 15 people: control (age: 31.06 ± 9.7 y; height: 159.46 ± 3.83 cm; and weight: 59.1 ± 11.37 kg) and experimental (age: 35.73 ± 8.3 y; height: 161.9 ± 4.46 cm; and weight 59.53 ± 10.48 kg). The experimental group practiced yoga for 8 weeks (two sessions a week) under the supervision of a yoga teacher in class, and also one session a week at home for 60-75 minutes, while the control group performed only their everyday activities. The depressions of all subjects were evaluated at the beginning and in the end of the study using Beck questionnaire. Date was analyzed using student t-test. The depression in the experimental group decreased significantly (P < 0.05) after 8 weeks of yoga. No significant change was observed in the control group (P > 0.05). It can be concluded that yoga can be considered as a useful modality in treatment of the depression disorder in women with multiple sclerosis.