Yoga affects depression, but the question remains: Do you know what the causes of it are? Did you know that the definition of Yoga is actually rooted in the word meditation? That is what the original meaning of Yoga was.
Well, as you probably know, it is not exactly that simple, but let’s continue with the explanations here. So firstly, meditation and Yoga are not the same thing, as some people might try to make you believe.
Meditation means putting your mind into a trance, which means you can shut off all your thinking processes and be completely relaxed. The best meditation technique for these techniques is alpha brainwaves, which is about 3 times the lowest one. This is the same as the alpha wave in your brain when you are asleep.
When you are asleep and the alpha brainwave frequencies are rising, this is when you are in a deep sleep stage. This is what Meditation is about, but Yoga is about a different type of relaxation, which is focused on meditation.
As mentioned above, Alpha brainwave frequencies are those in the lowest part of the brain, this means that it is a relaxation technique, not meditation. So Yoga is not really meditation, but if you are doing a Yoga meditation session, you are trying to get your mind into a relaxed state.
So, when you meditate, you are keeping your mind busy, by asking it to focus on something that makes you relax. This means that there is no actual brain activity involved, just a mental one.
After some time, when you have built up some alpha brainwave frequencies, your body starts to take control over it. Your body will start to relax because it is the primary agent for relaxing, so now your body has control over it, which again is something that Meditation does not provide.
So, when you are looking for a real solution to your depression, there is no substitute for Meditation. It is a process, not an exercise. Yoga is not really Meditation, but you can get great results from both if you want to use them together.