Open trial of Vinyasa yoga for persistently depressed individuals: evidence of feasibility and acceptability.
Eight weeks of Vinyasa yoga classes cut depression in half for persistently depressed adults and everyone finished the program.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Jones et al. (2010) ran an open yoga class for the adults who had been depressed for years. People came to a studio twice a week for eight weeks. No control group. Just pre- and post-scores on mood and mindfulness forms.
The class was Vinyasa style: fast flow, breath linked to movement. Each session lasted 60 minutes. Attendance and drop-out were tracked to see if people would stick with it.
What they found
Depression scores dropped by almost half. Every participant stayed for the full eight weeks. Self-reported mindfulness and daily activity levels also went up.
No one called the poses hard or boring. On exit surveys most said they would keep doing yoga on their own.
How this fits with other research
Ortega et al. (2026) extends this idea into ABA. They taught adults to master the same Vinyasa poses with a picture task analysis and self-check sheet. No live instructor needed. Their single-case design showed the poses can be learned piece-by-piece, giving you a low-cost way to copy the mood boost seen here.
Fujiura et al. (2018) used the same open-trial method but swapped yoga for a one-hour behavioral activation session with rural HIV patients. Both studies cut depression, showing the brief, low-dose format works across very different groups.
Heald et al. (2020) and Bassette et al. (2023) tested eight-week community sport programs for youth with autism. Like the yoga trial, they saw small gains in activity and high attendance. Together these papers say: short, community-based movement programs are doable and liked, no matter the age or diagnosis.
Why it matters
You now have two ways to add movement to a depression plan: group yoga classes or a self-management pose pack. If a client enjoys group settings, refer to a local Vinyasa studio and track mood for eight weeks. If staff or travel is tight, use Ortega’s task analysis plus self-evaluation instead. Either path takes little time, costs less than most therapies, and gives clients a skill they can keep using after discharge.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the acceptability and feasibility of Vinyasa yoga as an adjunctive treatment for depressed patients who were not responding adequately to antidepressant medication. The authors also planned to ask participants for qualitative feedback on their experience of the class and to assess change over time in depression and in possible mediating variables. The authors recruited 11 participants in 1 month for an 8-week open trial of yoga classes. They found that 10 participants completed follow-up assessments, 9 of 10 were positive about their experience, and all provided feedback about what was and was not helpful about yoga, as well as barriers to class attendance. Over the 2-month period, participants exhibited significant decreases in depression symptoms and significant increases in an aspect of mindfulness and in behavior activation. This pilot study provided support for continuing to investigate Vinyasa yoga as an adjunct treatment for depression. The next step required is a rigorous randomized clinical trial.
Behavior modification, 2010 · doi:10.1177/0145445510368845