01st May, 2025 | By: Ruchi Thakur
India has long been a melting pot of cultural and spiritual practices. While mental health stigma still exists, many Indians turn to ancient traditions like yoga, mantra chanting, and spiritual rituals to cope with symptoms of depression.
These methods offer not only emotional solace but also community connection, which is deeply ingrained in Indian life. But when do these practices help — and when are they not enough?
Yoga has been scientifically proven to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety. Practices such as asana (posture), pranayama (breathing control), and dhyana (meditation) help regulate stress hormones and boost calming brain chemicals like GABA.
Mindfulness meditation and chanting mantras like Om or the Gayatri Mantra focus attention and calm the nervous system. Regular practice can:
In conclusion, cultural and diverse practices as part of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) can offer low-cost ways to relieve stress, but experts emphasize they complement — not replace — professional care (World Health Organization, 2020).
Across Indian religions, sound-based rituals are powerful tools for calming the mind. Examples include:
Studies show that such repetitive sound meditation can reduce anxiety and foster hope — but their success depends on belief and regular practice. They are not instant solutions for clinical depression.
Rituals like lighting diyas, attending namaz or mass, or temple offerings create a sense of purpose and connection. These spiritual practices:
However, beware of negative spiritual coping, such as:
Such beliefs can worsen depression. In these cases, trauma-informed therapy is crucial to reframe suffering and rebuild spiritual hope.
When yoga, prayer, and rituals are paired with counseling or medication, recovery is often stronger. According to the World Health Organization, low-cost treatments like:
are effective across mild to severe depression. Spirituality can enhance these — not replace them.
Therapies that respect your values, beliefs, and rituals lead to better outcomes (Singh & Bhatia, 2020).
If you've felt:
… it is time to seek professional help.
Therapy is not in conflict with faith — many Indian therapists now incorporate mindfulness, breathing, and values into their sessions.
Yoga, chanting, and rituals provide a soulful path to mental peace, but they are not a replacement for professional treatment. Therapy helps reframe pain and bring long-lasting healing. Together, spiritual wisdom and psychological science offer a complete approach to managing depression in India.
If you have been feeling persistently low, don not suffer in silence. Seek a counselor today — your faith and healing can walk hand in hand.