When Naomy Fernandes first walked into a heated yoga studio in Boston, she wasn't looking for a workout. The 34-year-old had been struggling with depression for years, cycling through different treatments with mixed results. Eight weeks later, her depression symptoms had dropped significantly — and new research suggests her experience wasn't a fluke.
A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that heated yoga can meaningfully reduce symptoms of moderate to severe depression in adults, with participants who attended more classes showing greater improvements. Researchers followed 80 adults with depression over eight weeks, with each person attending at least two 90-minute heated yoga sessions per week at studios in the Boston area. The rooms were heated to 40°C (105°F), and each class followed a specific sequence of 26 postures and two breathing exercises.
The results surprised even the researchers: each additional class was linked to an estimated 0.72-point improvement on the study's depression scale. Among the 65 participants who completed follow-up assessments, depression scores dropped by about 13 points on average during the heated yoga program. Even after attending up to 30 sessions, participants continued to show improvements — the benefits didn't seem to plateau.
"We found a direct dose-response relationship between the number of classes attended and improvement in depression symptoms," said the research team.
The findings matter because depression is one of the world's most pressing health crises. The World Health Organization estimates that 350 million people globally struggle with depression, and suicide claims 700,000 lives every year. Despite advances in therapy and medication, only about half of patients see meaningful improvement from current treatments — and those who do often face side effects like brain fog, weight gain, and disrupted sleep.
The study's design aimed to rule out a common problem: people sometimes feel better just because they expect to improve. Half the participants started yoga right away while the other half waited eight weeks before beginning. Both groups showed similar patterns of improvement, suggesting the benefits came from the yoga itself, not simply the passage of time.
The benefits appeared to apply broadly. Participants saw improvements regardless of age, sex, or education level. Perhaps most surprisingly, those already taking antidepressant medications experienced the same level of improvement as those who were not on medication — a finding that could open new doors for patients who need additional support beyond drugs.
Researchers caution that more work is needed. Future studies should explore whether fewer classes might offer similar benefits and what schedule works best. But for now, the evidence suggests that for some adults with depression, rolling out a yoga mat in a warm room might be worth adding to their toolkit.