Yoga could be beneficial to individuals struggling with bipolar disorder, but it could also carry risks.
There is no scientific literature on the effect of hatha yoga on those with bipolar disorder; hatha yoga is a practice in which people move between various poses and often incorporates breathing exercises and meditation, Brown University reported.
"There is reason to think that there are ways in which it might be wonderful and ways in which it might not be safe. We are interested in studying hatha yoga for bipolar as an adjunctive treatment to pharmacotherapy," said lead author Lisa Uebelacker, associate professor (research) of psychiatry and human behavior in the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a staff psychologist at Butler Hospital.
In an online survey, 70 people with bipolar disorder answered favorably when asked "what impact do you think yoga has on your life?" One in five described it as "life changing; 29 claimed yoga decreased anxiety and distracted them from depressive thought.
"There is clearly evidence that yoga seems to be a powerful practice for some individuals with BD," the researchers wrote in the paper. "It was striking that some of our respondents clearly believed that yoga had a major positive impact on their lives."
Some survey results suggested yoga could be problematic to people with bipolar disorder. When asked if toga had a negative impact on their lives, five respondents claimed the rapid or energetic breathing involved made them feel agitated. Another participant recalled feeling too relaxed after a particularly slow session.
"I fell into a relaxed state ... near catatonic as my mind was depressed already. I was in bed for three days afterward," they wrote.
Eleven respondents warned there was potential for physical injury or pain and another four said the practice made them feel more self-critical. The findings of the survey also suggested hot yoga could result in physical illness for those taking bipolar medications such as lithium or antipsychotics.
"It's possible that you want to avoid any extreme practice, such as extended periods of rapid breathing," Uebelacker said.
The researchers now have a grant from the Depressive and Bipolar Disorder Alternative Treatment Foundation to run a pilot clinical trial in order to compare outcomes from yoga to those from a workbook for bipolar disorder.
"We're looking at alternative ways to cope with suffering that is part of people's everyday lives so that there are other options in addition to ongoing medication and psychotherapy" Uebelacker said.
The findings were published recently in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice.
