To expand and enhance options for depression care in our cultually diverse patient population, I would collaborate with Mt Madonna Institute of Yoga to develop three Ayurvedic yoga instructional videos. Each video would contain a yoga sequence for treating Vata, Pitta or Kapha type of depression. Videos could be shared with patients individually or within Osher group medical visits and public classes.

Despite profound disability and mortality associated with major depression, vulnerable populations including racial/ethnic minorities and the working poor are far less likely to be treated than those who are white, privately insured, and college-educated. Moreover, dropout rates from mental healthcare tend to be higher in communities of color, influenced by stigma and cost of care.

In emerging studies, yoga holds promise as an innovative depression therapy that is cost-effective, widely accessible, and enjoys high social acceptance and a favorable risk-benefit profile. Ayurvedic medicine suggests that tailoring yoga interventions to address imbalance in a specific bioenergy (Vata, Pitta, or Kapha), could increase yoga’s therapeutic effects.

Budget: $12,000