Rajasic depression is depression that looks like anxiety. Outwardly, a person might seem functional, but internally they are exhausted by a constant stream of racing thoughts, agitation, and a nervous system stuck in overdrive. While most yoga teachers believe that a depressed client needs gentle energising, for this type of client, we must teach them to settle.
Rajas is the guna (quality) of activity, passion, and movement. When out of balance, it manifests as restlessness. In modern psychology, this parallels sympathetic hyperarousal, meaning chronic stress activation where the nervous system is stuck in “fight or flight.” The amygdala (the brain’s fear centre) is overactive, and there is heightened activity in the Default Mode Network (DMN), which drives rumination and negative thinking. Over time, this continual strain depletes the system and can eventually lead to a tamasic (collapsed or heavy) state.
The first priority is to calm the nervous system.
How to practice:
Movement should be slow, grounded, and rhythmic. We begin with gentle vinyasa flows or circular joint movements to safely discharge excess energy. Then, we transition into forward bends and supine postures, like Child’s Pose, Reclined Butterfly, or Legs Up the Wall, which reduce stimulation and encourage rest.
Breathwork is very powerful here. The emphasis must be on soothing, lengthened exhalations. Practices like Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) or Dirga (three-part) breath calm the mind and signal safety to the nervous system.
Coherent Breathing is a particularly powerful tool here. Practising at a rate of around five breaths per minute, as part of a yoga intervention, has been associated with increased thalamic GABA levels in people with depression [3]. GABA is the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, and higher GABA activity is thought to support mood regulation. Notably, the GABA increase appeared time-limited, as it was seen when scanning followed a recent yoga session but not after about a week, suggesting regular practice may be needed to sustain the effect [3].
Yoga Nidra is another essential practice for this presentation. Rather than simply being a relaxation technique, neuroimaging research suggests that Yoga Nidra activates the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the limbic system, including the insula [2]. These regions are central to processing emotion and bodily sensation. This activation is thought to promote emotional regulation, helping the client move out of the anxious, hyperaroused loop and back into a state of balance [2].
The Takeaway
For the rajasic client, we use mindfulness and body scanning to direct attention to the present moment, breaking cycles of rumination and worry. Research on yoga for depression suggests that increased mindfulness and decreased rumination may be among the mechanisms through which yoga exerts its therapeutic effects [1]. We integrate longer relaxation and Yoga Nidra to down-regulate the nervous system [2]. If attention is fragmented, we anchor them to the feeling of their feet on the floor or the contact of their breath at the nostrils. In doing so, we help the rajasic mind find its way back to stillness.
Click here to see how this differs from Yoga for Tamasic (Heavy) Depression.
Click here to learn why most practitioners teach ‘breathwork for depression’ wrong.
References
[1] Meister, K., & Juckel, G. (2018). A Systematic Review of Mechanisms of Change in Body-Oriented Yoga in Major Depressive Disorders. Pharmacopsychiatry, 51(3), 73–81. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-111013
[2] Ghai, S., Odyniec, P., & Ghai, I. (2026). Effects of Yoga Nidra on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1556(1), e70149. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.70149
[3] Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Brown, R. P., Scott, T. M., Nielsen, G. H., Owen, L., Sakai, O., Sneider, J. T., Nyer, M. B., & Silveri, M. M. (2020). Thalamic Gamma Aminobutyric Acid Level Changes in Major Depressive Disorder After a 12-Week Iyengar Yoga and Coherent Breathing Intervention. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 26(3), 190–197. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2019.0234
