Yoga has a positive impact on overall wellbeing in older adults. Yoga has been shown to reduce hostility, modulate the fear of death, and improve overall mood. Yoga meditation practice has also been demonstrated to reduce perceived stress and improve mood in both older adults with cognitive impairment and their caregivers.
Yoga has the potential to reduce the depression levels of older adults, both in nonclinical and clinical populations, including individuals for whom depression is a comorbid condition. In one study, depressed outpatients noted reduction in symptoms after just 3 consecutive days of yoga therapy that included 20–25 minutes of simple yoga exercises with specific deep-breathing techniques.
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