Compared to aerobic exercise , no short- or medium-term group differences in depression severity was found .
Higher short-term depression severity was found for yoga compared to electro-convulsive therapy ;  remission rates did not differ between groups .
No short-term group differences occurred when yoga was compared to antidepressant medication .
Conflicting evidence was found when yoga was compared to attention-control interventions , or when yoga as an add-on to antidepressant medication was compared to medication alone .
This review found some evidence for positive effects beyond placebo and comparable effects compared to evidence -based interventions .
BACKGROUND The purpose of this review was to investigate the efficacy and safety of yoga interventions in treating patients with major depressive disorder .
Meditation with yoga, group therapy with hypnosis, and psychoeducation for long-term depressed mood: a randomized pilot trial.
This r and omized pilot study investigated the effects of meditation with yoga ( and psychoeducation ) versus group therapy with hypnosis ( and psychoeducation ) versus psychoeducation alone on diagnostic status and symptom levels among 46 individuals with long-term depressive disorders . Results indicate that significantly more meditation group participants experienced a remission than did controls at 9-month follow-up . Eight hypnosis group participants also experienced a remission , but the difference from controls was not statistically significant . Three control participants , but no meditation or hypnosis participants , developed a new depressive episode during the study , though this difference did not reach statistical significance in any case . Although all groups reported some reduction in symptom levels , they did not differ significantly in that outcome . Overall , these results suggest that these two interventions show promise for treating low- to moderate-level depression
Compared to aerobic exercise , no short- or medium-term group differences in depression severity was found .
Higher short-term depression severity was found for yoga compared to electro-convulsive therapy ;  remission rates did not differ between groups .
No short-term group differences occurred when yoga was compared to antidepressant medication .
Conflicting evidence was found when yoga was compared to attention-control interventions , or when yoga as an add-on to antidepressant medication was compared to medication alone .
This review found some evidence for positive effects beyond placebo and comparable effects compared to evidence -based interventions .
BACKGROUND The purpose of this review was to investigate the efficacy and safety of yoga interventions in treating patients with major depressive disorder .