The 2005 Lavey et al. 113 - subject open-label trial showed the potential efficacy of yoga
in improving the mood of psychiatric inpatients.^15 Participants completed the Profile of
Mood States (POMS) prior to and following participation in a yoga class (45 minutes,
once a week). Analyses indicated that participants reported significant improvements on
all five of the negative emotion factors on the POMS, including tension-anxiety,
depression-dejection, anger-hostility, fatigue-inertia, and confusion-bewilderment.
There was no significant change on the sixth POMS factor, vigor-activity. Improvements
in mood were not related to gender or diagnosis. The abstract concluded: “The results
suggest that yoga was associated with improved mood, and may be a useful way of
reducing stress during inpatient psychiatric treatment.”^16
13. SCHIZOPHRENIA
Similarly, Yoga has been used to lessen the effects of schizophrenia. In a 2007
randomized, observer-blind trial cited with approval by Brown and Gerbarg, over 4
months, subjects in the yoga group had significantly less psychopathology than those in
the physical training (exercise) group at the end of four months. They also had
significantly greater social and occupational functioning and quality of life. Subjects in
the yoga group significantly improved in negative symptoms (p= 0.001) and socio-
occupational functioning (p = 0.006) over the physical training group, without significant
differences in positive symptoms and depression scores.^17 The exercise group improved
less.
13. ANXIETY AND PTSD
van der Kolk, who founded The Trauma Center in Brookline, MA, has reported dramatic
results in the use of yoga for treatment of PTSD:
“People with PTSD lose their way in the world. Their bodies continue to live in
an internal environment of the trauma. We all are biologically and
neurologically programmed to deal with emergencies, but time stops in people
