The exciting intersection of yoga and psychology, and the mounting research that suggests including yoga in a therapeutic setting could have wide-ranging benefits for clients, is an area of great interest for us at The Minded Institute.
Our upcoming course, Yoga Therapy Skills for Depression and Anxiety, is an upcoming five-day course where Dr. Samantha Bottrill (senior clinical psychologist and yoga therapist) and Heather Mason (founder of The Minded Institute, one of the world’s premier yoga therapy training organisations) blend neuroscience, psychotherapeutic frameworks, and yogic principles to help you work confidently with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and trauma. You will learn techniques that can easily be incorporated into therapeutic work, and explore the relationship between yoga and psychology.
Why Psychologists Are Turning Toward Yoga
The benefits of yoga to health and wellbeing are of increasing interest to psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors and practitioners of talking therapy as they expand their continuum of care.
Practitioners are increasingly moving towards a person-centred approach to the therapeutic relationship. With this, they are growing in confidence, integrating techniques from multiple complementary therapies into their practice, and tailoring therapy to the unique needs and nature of their individual clients.
One such complementary therapy is yoga. The practical and safe teaching of yoga skills within the therapeutic setting (such as breath work and planned movement) can lead to improvement in many psychological and physiological symptoms, highlighting the valuable connection between yoga and psychology.
Integrating Yogic Techniques into Therapeutic Work
The Minded Institute, a world leader in yoga therapy skills training, offers a ground-breaking course in the integration of yogic skills into therapeutic practice. This includes the teaching of evidence-based breathing techniques, gentle movement to reduce physical tension present in mental health issues, relaxation-based exercises, and an overview of the physiological importance of body-based approaches like yoga.
Although the body of evidence supporting the therapeutic implementation of yoga techniques in clinical practice is still growing, more and more literature is emerging focusing on the associated symptomatic and general well-being benefits. Yoga techniques have been shown to be beneficial in a range of mental health conditions, such as depressive disorders[2], anxiety disorders[3], PTSD[4], eating disorders[5], and psychosis [6].
Brain Pathways Linking Yoga and Psychological Wellbeing
Whilst scientific literature struggles to agree on the exact neurological underpinnings of many mental health problems, there is strong evidence that poor mental health is associated with decreased activity in the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) and lower executive function. Concurrently, effective therapeutic interventions are associated with increased activity in the Prefrontal Cortex and increases in PFC volume.
It is proposed that down-regulation of executive function can be countered through bottom-up processes – such as planned movement and controlled breathing involved in yoga – which promote neuroplasticity and improve executive function.[7]
The study of yoga asana practice has revealed evidence that the mindful activity involved with the planning of new movements in yoga activates the shared pathway between the Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex. This activation is associated with increased connectivity in the shared pathway between the two, which may improve the ability to selectively inhibit or evoke particular patterns of thought in therapeutic clients.[8]
Some evidence also suggests that yogic exercise may increase the release of the neurotransmitter Oxytocin, which is associated with improved interpersonal function, which in turn may increase the efficacy of therapeutic intervention.[9]
Yoga, the Nervous System, and Mental Health Symptoms
Studies of the impact of yogic breathing and physical posture have strongly linked yoga with beneficial activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. The holding of a yogic posture is believed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve, the primary nerve structure connecting the parasympathetic and central nervous systems.
Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system increases the release of Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA), the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. Lower levels of GABA are associated with poor mental well-being, anxiety, depression, PTSD and chronic pain; regular increases in GABA activity are shown to significantly improve well-being and symptoms of associated mental health problems.[10]
The use of evidence-based yogic techniques as an adjunct to therapy can have a really positive effect on the success of therapeutic intervention, as well as the well-being and symptoms of clients.
The Minded Institute is very keen to educate practitioners in the safe use of yogic techniques through this course, which explores the transformative potential of yoga and psychology. Yoga Therapy Skills for Depression and Anxiety provides a rigorous, research-informed training for clinicians wishing to expand their therapeutic toolkit with embodied approaches grounded in neuroscience, psychology, and yoga therapy.
