Yoga found effective in reducing stigma and anxiety among those with epilepsy

Living with epilepsy can be tough to handle day-to-day. It's a chronic brain disorder that affects people all over the world.

It's not just the seizures; people with epilepsy often have to deal with other struggles, like social stigma and anxiety, thanks to myths and misconceptions. However, there's some interesting science you need to know about.

The Neurology journal of The American Academy of Neurology just released a study that shows how yoga can make a huge difference.

It really does help to reduce the stigma and anxiety that people with epilepsy face. Let's take a closer look at this research and see how yoga can be an awesome tool for managing epilepsy.

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There are many challenges that people with epilepsy face each day

Helps with recurring seizures (Image via Unsplash/Jade Stephens)

Epilepsy is all about those recurring seizures, and they can mess you up big time.

They can bring on feelings of depression and making it very difficult to keep up with education or work, but that's not the worst part.

There's still a whole lot of social stigma attached to epilepsy. For some they might think you can't contribute to society. They even face some serious challenges in their day-to-day lives.

Researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences had a mission: tackle stigma and anxiety faced by people with epilepsy.

They called it "Effectiveness of yoga intervention in reducing felt stigma in adults with epilepsy." They rounded up 160 people who had been dealing with stigma and split them into two groups: one getting the real yoga therapy, the other getting a placebo therapy.

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Promotes relaxation and mindfulness (Image via Unsplash/Jade Stephens)

Participants in the yoga therapy group engaged in exercises focused on loosening muscles, breathing techniques, meditation and positive affirmations.

Meanwhile, the yoga therapy group performed exercises similar to yoga but without the key components believed to induce relaxation and mindfulness.

Both groups received supervised group sessions and were asked to practice at home regularly.

After three months of therapy, participants who practiced yoga experienced a significant reduction in perceived stigma compared to those in the placebo yoga group.

Their anxiety levels also decreased, while the sham yoga group reported an increase in stigma and anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, individuals who practiced yoga were more than four times likely to achieve a more than 50% reduction in seizure frequency after six months.

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Little practice of yoga can go a long way

helps the individuals to reach a mindful state (Image via Unsplash/Junseong Lee)

The study's results were very loud and clear: we need some fresh alternative therapies to fight that stigma and take the quality of life for people with epilepsy to the next level.

Not only does it breaks the stigma, but it also puts you in that mindful state, positively impacting your well-being. It's also accessible to everyone, even if you're tight on resources. You can jump into some online for free yoga videos without breaking the bank

It seems like yoga could be a real game-changer when it comes to managing epilepsy. This new research is showing that by adding yoga to their routine, people dealing with epilepsy can see some major benefits.

They include less anxiety, better well-being overall and even feeling more in control of their condition.

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Living with epilepsy is not an easy condition to deal with. It brings a whole lot of challenges, like dealing with stigma and anxiety.

Adding yoga to your daily routine can be a game-changer. It's all about reducing that stigma and chilling out your anxiety, leading to a better quality of life for those with epilepsy.

As we keep searching for alternative therapies, it's crucial to recognize the power of practices like yoga, because they address not just the physical stuff but also the social and emotional side of living with epilepsy.