How To Create An Anti-Depression Yoga Practice

Like anxiety, depression is very common state of being for the modern person, especially in these times of so much suffering and uncertainty.

Most of the time, depression originates from our thoughts and feelings, as we try to cope with our personal experiences or the world at large. Thoughts and feelings that — over a period of time — become trapped in the body and throw the body systems off balance as the body tries to address to them.

But depression can also originate from the body, if we aren’t eating healthily, not exercising, not breathing well, not getting enough sunlight and vitamin D, for example. But either way, depression is best addressed on both the psycho-spiritual level and the physical level in order to be remedied, because the mind and body are interactive and reciprocal. One effects the other.

Of course, there are also cases in which depression can originate primarily at the chemical level and needs to be addressed at that level, at least in part. But even in those more rare cases, the ideas offered here will still be helpful in bringing you back to center.

There are many natural things — and often quite simple things — that we can do to help keep ourselves in a healthy body with a healthy mind. Modifying our yoga practice to accommodate these states is one of them. So in this article, I’d like to give you specific ways to modify your yoga practice to mitigate depression. (For how to modify for anxiety, please read this article.)

HOW DEPRESSION EFFECTS THE BODY, MIND, & SPIRIT

Depression is marked by a state of low spirits and a loss of courage. With depression comes inertia, dullness, a lack of motivation, and a feeling of hopelessness. Depression is more associated with the past. The burdens of the past, and the hurts that undermine our enthusiasm for life.

Commonly, depression arises when we aren’t acknowledging and dealing with our feelings, when we try to deny them — particularly when we try to deny anger or sadness. Both of those feelings are somewhat taboo in our Western culture. But the truth is, these feelings are normal and quite understandable in our times.

The greater problem comes when we aren’t paying attention to our uncomfortable feelings. When we’re unwilling to pay attention, they tend to stick around longer. It’s as if by trying to push them away, we actually push them in and lodge them in. But when we’re willing to embrace them as teachers or helpful messengers of some kind, they can bring us awareness and even transformation.

Depression can express itself in many different ways, and is often accompanied by anxiety. In fact, some depression is a result of prolonged anxiety that has depleted the system.

As you approach your practice to mitigate depression, one of the most important things to do is accept where you are and work from where you are in that moment. Love yourself unconditionally. That alone will help you make your way back to center.

PRACTICAL MODIFICATIONS FOR AN ANTI-DEPRESSION YOGA PRACTICE

Our beautiful yoga practice can help bring the life force back into the body, and elevate our mood, which helps us make loving choices for ourselves. In addition, the self-care that is part of our practice helps us approach our thoughts and feelings in healthier ways — ways that allow us to move on and not get stuck.

When practicing yoga to mitigate depression, you want to do three things primarily. You want to:

• invigorate the lungs
• open the heart center
• revive a sense of self-care

Here are some practical ways to create an anti-depression practice:

1. If you’re experiencing a tamasic depression — where you feel dark, pessimistic, and lethargic — move in your practice a little quicker. Maybe start with slightly quicker series of sun salutations. Don’t go too fast, just pick up the pace a little. If you’re depression feels more like a depletion, go steady — not too slow, not too fast.

2. When you’re feeling depressed, avoid putting too much attention on alignment. Getting back to your breath, to the life force, and invigorating the heart is far more important than that kind of focus. Prioritize the breath and focus on bringing the inhales all the way into the deep belly.

3. Watch out for slouching in general in the depressed state — both on and off the mat. When we slouch, we are essentially hiding the heart back and cutting off our connection to the heart. When the physical heart is hidden back, it doesn’t get the oxygen it needs to function healthily. The heart is a key regulator and communicator of our mood so stay attentive to this and help yourself by bringing the heart forward. A healthy physical heart will help you have healthier, more uplifting thoughts and feelings.

4. In the depressed state, we also tend to hold the eyes and the head down. Both of these actions further stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, the calming nervous system, which is the opposite of what we want to do when we’re feeling depressed. Holding the eyes and the head down are also ways of avoiding the present moment and reinforcing isolation. So watch out for looking down too much, both on and off the mat. Instead, do your best to keep your eyes pointed gently forward in your practice, and even try to turn them up in your standing poses like tall lunges and warriors for example.

5. You might start your anti-depression practice with some eye circles, because tension in the outer eyes is a common symptom in those who feel depressed.

6. Strengthening the thighs and then stretching them out has a chemical anti-depressant effect on the body, so be sure to incorporate some of this in your anti-depressant practice.

7. But perhaps most importantly, you’ll want to work your way into the heart and lungs — first reviving and awakening them with the life force of your breath, but then continuing your way into the heartspace with some backbends. Start with mild backbends and gradually move towards deeper backbends. You may feel a resistance to entering these centers, so go gently and gradually.

8. A pranayama practice with a slight focus on the inhales is an excellent way to conclude your anti-depression practice after sivasana.

9. And lastly, as an auxiliary practice, it can be helpful to encourage yourself out of your comfort zone — on or off the mat. Small acts of courage to step out of the comfort zone can help cultivate a greater capacity for courage. And, placing yourself in less familiar surroundings can reawaken your senses, energize your mind, and help reverse the inertia of depression.

You might use this information to design your own at-home anti-depression practice, or to make modifications in a class that you attend. If you’re interested in additional tips for an anti-depression yoga practice, you might enjoy this mini-course, which includes additional tips and a full-length anti-depression practice.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge that there’s so much information out there about what to do about anxiety, that that itself can be overwhelming. The truth is, lots of the options work; there’s not just one magic answer out there. I’ve found that the key is to pick one thing and commit to it, or one thing and keep your focus on it. Just one thing. That will get you feeling more confident about your ability to take care of yourself, which is the most important thing of all.

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This article was originally published on Julia’s blog here.