Depression is a psychiatric disorder, which often leads to poor quality of life and impaired role in functioning. Indeed, chances of developing a depressive illness are estimated to be 1 in 10 for men and 1 in 5 for women making it a particularly common affliction of mankind. Globally, an estimated 322 million people were affected by depression in 2015. Yoga is a set of physical, mental and spiritual practices which originated in India thousands of years ago. With evolution over it has been adapted around the world in various forms. In the last years, a new view on mental healthcare has been formed on mental healthcare, called positive psychology. This new view states, that mental health is not solely comprised of a reduction of negative symptoms, such as stress or depression, but positive experiences as well, such as emotional wellbeing, happiness and self-realization. Yoga, among other activities, is in line with this new view, in the sense that it practices key aspects of positive psychology. More and more research has been conducted on the effects of yoga on mental health in the last years, but little have physical, chronic conditions been the focus of this research. There is a clear need for interventions which are efficacious in improving both physical activity and depressive symptomsand multicomponent lifestyle interventions incorporating a combination of physical activity, exercise and diet.Treatment guidelines for mental disorders from leading international organisations now recommend the integration of physical activity based interventions as part of routine psychiatric care. Despite these recommendations, translation of evidence into clinical practiceand routine implementation of exercise interventions as part of standard care is limited.

Keywords: Yoga; Depression; Anxiety; Stress.