subject: Curing Depression with Yoga [print this page] We all feel a little sad or just not ourselves sometimes, but clinical depression is a debilitating extreme of mild sadness. It is normal to feel sadness when experiencing a loss, or when life becomes challenging. The difference between a little sadness and depression; however, can sometimes be difficult for a depressed person to differentiate. Sometimes depression sneaks up on us. We start to feel a little down and think that eventually this emotion will pass, just like all other emotions do, but when weeks and months pass and you find that you are still feeling down, it may be time to consider the possibility that you are suffering from a clinical, medically certifiable case of depression. Some symptoms to pay attention to are as follows:
Do you feel depressed on more days of the week than you feel happy or good?
Have you lost pleasure form things that previously brought you great pleasure and joy?
Are you experiencing or have you recently experienced a significant change in your appetite? Are you eating much more than you normally do or much less? Have you gained or lost more than ten pound sin the last few months?
Are you sleepy all the time, or conversely, do you have a difficult time sleeping at all?
Do you feel a persistent sense of guilt or worthlessness?
Do you have an inability to concentrate that occurs almost every day?
Do you have thoughts of your own death? Do you fantasize about your own death or think of committing suicide?
Do you feel agitation easily or conversely, a sense of great lethargy always?
These are all indicators of clinical depression. These symptoms can be so overwhelming and consuming that a person finds it difficult to carry on their normal daily activities such as going to work or caring for themselves and their families.What causes this state of emotional chaos?
Some doctors view depression as a biochemical problem that can easily be cure with medications, and this option should not be overlooked foe those who are experiencing depression which makes them unable to participate in life at all; however, drugs do not cure the problem of depression at its core. There are also often many side effects that come from depression drugs such as hair loss, night sweats and even cancer. Drugs can literally be a life saver if someone is feeling suicidal, but they can also be more trouble than they are worth. You, your loved ones and a qualified psychologist can help you decide what is best for you in this regard, but even if you decide to take prescription medications such as Zoloft or Prozac to help you deal with the symptoms of depression, realize that you are treating the symptoms and it should be your aim to treat the root cause as quickly as possible in order to come off the medications expeditiously. The root causes of depression can be treated with yoga practices such as asana, pranayama, mantra repetition and meditation.
At the core of all our psychological stress there are stresses which are physiologically stored in the body. Once we start to practice yoga, these stresses are literally released from our body by ridding it of toxins which store emotional pains such as anger, fear, grief, jealously, irritation, and the like. People who are consistently depressed are consistently activating their sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for the fight or flight response (the hormones released into the body to control this response are Cortisol and Adrenaline which can cause a host of medical problems as well as an increased level of irritability, loss of sleep, bouts of anger and more aggression.). This is exactly the opposite of what we want to occur for someone feeling depressed. Once a depressed person consistently practices yoga for several months, the sympathetic nervous system quiets down and the parasympathetic nervous system is invigorated. This is the portion of the nervous system that is responsible for the relaxation response, and our breathing, for example. When both of these functions become enhanced, so does our overall well being.
Interestingly, there is a correlation between a person's posture and their mood also. In several studies, it was noted that people who have good posture usually have an elevated mood while those who slouch or slump feel more depressed or generally "bad." Yoga helps to create good posture. The reasoning behind this phenomenon is not completely understood by western medical science just yet, but when the chakras are scrunched together because of bad posture, the energy channels or chakras of the body cannot allow energy to flow freely through the body and up the spine to the brain to activate the "happy hormones" that make our moods elevated and generally positive. Neurotransmitters in the brain can then release more serotonin and reduce the production of monoamine oxidase; enzymes which catalyze the oxidation of monoamines. They are found in the mitochondria of most cells in the body. Once the brain's three neurotransmitters, known as monoamines (serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine), have played their part in sending messages in the brain, they get burned up by a protein in the brain called monoamine oxidase, a liver and brain enzyme. Once we change our posture the brain has an easier time controlling the amount of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine in amounts that help to regulate a happy mood rather than a sour one.
Meditation generally helps to bring us face to face with deeply seated issues that we may not realize are contributing to our state of depression. Most psychological therapies utilize practices which help a patient look at traumas and to then integrate them or accept them into the overall fabric of our lives.Meditation does the same thing, but goes to even deeper levels, at least according to many yogis and sages. Meditation accesses deeply held scars from past traumas not only in our childhoods but also from the many reincarnations we have experienced over thousands of years. Sometimes we may not even realize that an event which happened four lifetimes ago is still holding us back, but consistent meditation practice is said to melt away all these emotional scars so that a person can experience greater and greater levels of joy.
Mantra repetition acts to burn samskaras (or emotional blocks) also, but also helps to bring the mind to a state of one-centeredness in order to better meditate. Some mantras are also said to have great powers in their vibrational energy. Specific mantras are aimed at alleviating specific symptoms from depression to poverty. A mantra is a way to access fields of energetic vibration that we are not currently activating in a depressed state. It is thought that if a particular mantra is repeated enough times, that it will eventually change the vibration patterns of the brain, thus eliminating depression altogether.
Yoga asana helps to strengthen and elongate the muscles, and eradicate toxins from the body. When the body becomes too polluted with toxins, it can become "sad." The brain becomes sluggish, the nervous system becomes sluggish and the blood is less oxygenated, generally adding to a depressed' system. Yoga asana helps to bring the body back into balance so that its mood regulating systems are working at ultimate levels.
Pranayama helps to increase the mood by oxygenating the mind and body and also by alleviating toxins from accumulating in the body. It is thought that pranayama alone can have great benefits on the mood, and even slow down the aging process. Pranayama practiced just five minutes a day can make an enormous difference in someone's mood.
If you are feeling slightly sad, you can just go to a yoga class to help elevate your emotions, but if you have been feeling down consistently for several weeks, or are experiencing any symptoms listed above, I suggest that in addition to going to yoga, you see a doctor so that your needs can be accommodated in the best way possible. There is no reason to suffer through depression. Many people have been taught to be stoic or even martyr-like, but depression can wreck the body and the mind and fully incapacitate someone, so it is to be treated seriously. Acknowledging your sadness is the first step, getting help is the second, and beginning a regular yoga practice is the third. If you just take that first step, you can start feeling better, and begin to pull yourself up from the well that you seem to be at the bottom of. Millions of people suffer from depression. You are not alone. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
