September/October 2010 Alternative Health
Yoga: Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way
by Dr. Nancy Liebler
Can depression be treated by yoga?
Scientific research studies are finding that physical, mental and emotional disorders are all effectively treated by the practice of yoga. The ancient sages and modern scientists agree that by bending, inverting, twisting and stretching, we can undo the stranglehold of depression. By naturally inducing the release of mood brighteners and brain-stabilizing bio-chemicals in the physiology, yoga postures relieve the many symptoms associated with a depressed state: anxiety, lethargy and sleep problems.
Doshas
From their in-depth study of nature, ancient sages from India observed energy disguised in the form of five elements. According to ayurveda, the oldest form of mind-body medicine, these five elements combine into three fundamental fields called doshas. Air and ether combine to form vata dosha, fire and water combine to form pitta dosha, and earth and water combine to form kapha dosha.
Using with different language, modern quantum physicists echo this ancient knowledge. Contemporary scientists and ancient sages agree that the five elements are expressed in every aspect of the natural world — including the human body. Every individual expresses the doshas in a unique manner, but we each possess all three doshas within our physiology. If our natural doshic distribution becomes unbalanced, illness occurs. Our particular vulnerabilities determine the nature of our illness. If we are vulnerable to depression then doshic imbalance can trigger a depressed state of being.
Imbalance and Depression
An imbalance in vata dosha creates fear and anxiety, leaving one feeling ungrounded and unstable. An imbalance in pitta dosha overheats the system, resulting in anger, resentment, irritation and jealousy. The stability and solidity of kapha dosha can, if unbalanced, congeal to produce a state of excessive emotional attachment and a feeling of stagnation.
Yoga poses have a tremendous effect on all the physical systems of the body. They also create energy patterns that can change your energy field — and balance your doshas. Allow yoga to help you find the happy you and bring your life back into focus.
Balance Your Doshas
Vata
Dosha Principles
Create warmth and serenity during practice. A restorative yoga practice is best.
Mental Focus
• Maintain a smooth and steady rhythm.
• Hold each posture for a short amount of time.
• Move fluidly in to and out of each pose by imagining that you are moving through a thick viscous substance, like warm mud.
Physical Focus
• Stay warm to prevent injury.
• Refrain from hyper-extending.
• Create physical stability by focusing on the foundation of each pose.
• Rotate your legs inwardly and press the outer edges of your legs toward the ground.
• In standing poses, ground your big toe.
• Activate your muscles with every pose — imagine that your muscles are hugging your bones.
• Be aware not to deplete your physical energy.
Spiritual Focus
• Do less, be more — maintain presence of mind throughout the practice.
• The practice should leave you physically strengthened, emotionally nourished and spiritually grounded.
• Let your breath guide your practice — focus on lengthening your inhalations.
Pitta
Dosha Principles
Practice yoga with compassion, acceptance and relaxed effort. Keeping cool is of the essence.
Mental Focus
• Remind yourself that less is more.
• Have fun during your practice by not taking yourself or your poses too seriously.
• Soften your gaze or practice with your eyes closed.
• Smile.
• Allow freedom and creativity in your practice. Change it around. Avoid sticking to one style or series of poses.
• Focus on the physical sensations of your body, not your brain.
• Use the exhalation to release any heated emotions such as pent-up anger, frustration and stress.
Physical Focus
• Keep cool in your mind and don’t overheat your body.
• Practice in a well-ventilated space.
• Listen to your body and don’t go past your limits — in other words, move your body until you feel the stretch but not the burn.
• Make sure that you have plenty of practice space around you.
• Exhale though your mouth if your body overheats (but always inhale though your nose).
• Focus on lengthening your exhalations.
• Maintain an awareness of your breath as it moves through your body.
• Gently engage in side-twisting poses and chest openers.
• Maintain an awareness of the position of your ribs. Hug your ribs to your body and don’t let them jut out.
• Practice at a moderate pace.
Spiritual Focus
• Avoid judgments and criticism of yourself.
• Remind yourself that yoga is not a competition.
Kapha
Dosha Principles
Stimulate the flow of energy, generating internal heat and creating open spaces in the body and a sense of lightness.
Mental Focus
• Focus on creating expansiveness in the physical body and in your energetic field.
• Challenge yourself.
• Using your mind’s eye (internal awareness), pay close attention to your body alignment.
• Keep your heart open — do this symbolically by keeping your chest out and your shoulders down, as if you were opening the door to your heart.
Physical Focus
• Practice at a vigorous pace and intensity.
• Practice in a warm space.
• Use a strong forceful breath during practice.
• Don’t give up — when you are ready to release the pose, take one more breath.
• Maintain a sharp upward gaze, as if looking ahead to catch a glimpse of the future.
• Pause for a moment between your inhalations and exhalations.
• Have short resting periods between poses.
• Be precise in the way you do the poses (for example, extend your arm purposefully with fingers straight and strong).
Spiritual Focus
• Feel stable in your body and let your spirit soar.
• Let go — begin by giving up preconceived notions about yourself, such as what you can and cannot do.
• Welcome change.
Dr. Nancy Liebler, a clinical psychologist, is the author of Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way: Creating Happiness with Meditation, Yoga and Ayurveda. Visit www.depressionproofyourlife.com.
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