Researching Heat and Yoga for Mood Enhancement
Recruiting now · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Depression
In brief
This study will examine how doing heated yoga or non-heated yoga affects depression.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT06094088
- Run by
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- People needed
- 120
- Starts
- 2025-07-01
- Expected to finish
- 2026-12-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2025-11-13
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- adults (18-65 years old)
- able to provide consent
- are able to read and understand English
- PHQ-9 score between 10-20, indicating moderate but not severe depressive symptom severity (27)
- Must have filled out the waiver for the community-based yoga studio prior to enrolling in the study.
You may not qualify if…
- have had a bone fracture or joint surgery in the past 6 months
- not able to walk freely or without difficulty
- have severe heart failure or lung disease
- participants endorse an item on the revised Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+) and do not have approval from their treating physician (we will check in with treating physician in the event that participants endorse any item on the PAR-Q+)
- participants must have a physician responsible for their medical care
- are pregnant or planning to become pregnant
- no more than 6 yoga classes in the past 6 months
- have active suicidal thinking (i.e., PHQ-9 item 9 ≥1 and a positive response to C-SSRS screener items 3, 4, 5, or 6)
- report manic symptoms (Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale score ≥ 6 (28))
- are on medications that make dehydration more likely (e.g., lithium, antipsychotics, insulin-dependent)
- active eating disorders or substance use disorders within the past 12 months
- antidepressant or psychiatric medications that are initiated less than 8 weeks or a dose change less than 4 weeks prior to screening visit
- psychotherapy that has been initiated within the past 3 months
- willingness to keep psychiatric medications and psychotherapy stable throughout the course of the study
- psychiatric hospitalization within the past year
- diagnosed with any neurological disorders that would impact participation or make participation unsafe
- are currently in any active ketamine, ECT, or TMS
- are unable to follow the study procedures (e.g., not able to travel to the heated or non-heated yoga studios)
Where it is running
- Orange Door Collaborative — Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (enrolling)
- Breathe Yoga Studio — Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (enrolling)
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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