Certain types of meditation and other “mindfulness” mind-body practices work as well as – or better than – antidepressant drugs in treating depression, according to a major new study.

Such practices involves training the brain to deal with negative emotions and include such techniques such as meditation, relaxation training, breathing exercises, and yoga.

The new study – the largest-ever analysis of research on the subject – found mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) helped people with depression as well as those prescribed antidepressant drugs, The Independent reports.

People suffering from depression who received MBCT were 31 percent less likely to suffer a relapse over the next 60 weeks.

The findings, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, also indicated there was no evidence of any harmful effects.

“This new evidence for mindfulness-based cognitive therapy … is very heartening,” said lead researcher Willem Kuyken, an Oxford University clinical psychologist and director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre.

“While MBCT is not a panacea, it does clearly offer those with a substantial history of depression a new approach to learning skills to stay well in the long-term.”