Yoga practices can reduce the impact on stress responses, and helpful for both anxiety and depression. Yoga functions like other self-soothing techniques, such as meditation, relaxation, exercise, or even socializing with friends.
By reducing the level of stress and anxiety, yoga appears to modify stress response systems. Yoga decreases physiological arousal — for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing breathing. There is also
evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body’s ability to respond to stress more flexibly.
Many people report positive health effects from practicing yoga and meditation, and experience both mental and physical improvement from these practices.