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Many of us have been wounded in life, not
physically, but emotionally and psychically. These wounds
may manifest in the body as an assortment of physical illnesses
including heart disease, GI problems, chronic pain. Psychically
they usually surface as depression, anxiety, panic or even PTSD
(Post traumatic stress disorders).
For thousands of years yoga has taught us
how to address our thoughts and reframe them through movement,
breathing and meditation. The practical wisdom and experience
of the ancients has evolved into a science of positive mental
health practices rooted in Vedic philosophy, the most ancient
spiritual knowledge revealed to humankind. These self-help
tools passed on to us and described in the Yoga Sutras of
Patanjali were originally not meant to be used as healing
devices. The therapeutic benefits of yoga or “healing” aspects
become the aftermath of a consistent daily practice.
Researchers and therapists today are just beginning to be
recognized for their work in documenting and reporting these
benefits.
Amy Weintraub, a senior Kripalu yoga
teacher and writer speaks from the depths of her own personal
struggles with major depression in
Yoga for Depression, A Compassionate Guide to
Relieve Suffering through Yoga.
She very candidly explains how she began to practice on her own
after taking a yoga intensive. Within nine months of consistent
daily practice, she could see herself moving out of a deep,
chronic depression, where she’d been in treatment and on
medication for years. She found herself giving up the familiar
experience of “always having empty pockets” to embrace a life
with new meaning and feelings of “abundance” and joy. This in
itself is a great accomplishment, since according to the World
Health Organization, depression is the fourth leading cause of
death worldwide, and the current Western biomedical model of
treatment is costing us more than 50 billion dollars a year.
The research of numerous yoga therapists and
psychiatric practitioners worldwide affirm these similar
positive results. For example, Mercedes McCormick, a
psychologist in the New York/New Jersey area uses yogic
practices; meditation, postures, guided visualization, with New
Yorkers, both children and adults suffering from the emotional
impact of September 11, 2001. She found “Yoga and Yoga therapy
encourages exploration of thoughts, feelings, body sensations
and behaviors related to traumatic events in a safe, supportive
environment, recharging and healing the body and mind and
helping to restore it to a condition of harmony and balance.”
In a Scandinavian study by Eric Hoffman, alpha
waves, those brainwaves enhancing relaxation, and theta waves,
those related to unconscious memory, dreams and emotions, were
increased after a two-hour yoga class. What this means is that
the brain is more deeply relaxed and more in contact with the
subconscious and our emotions after doing yoga practices. An
increase in brain chemicals that contribute to a “feel good”
response; endorphins, enkephalins and serotonin, also contribute
to a greater access to feelings.
In stressful situations increased cortisol
levels are an indicator of sadness or grief. Researchers at the
Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in
cooperation with the Yoga Research Society found there was a
significant drop in the stress hormone, cortisol after a single
yoga class. Another study in a hospital in France found
psychiatric patients asked to attend a yoga class, felt a sense
of deep relaxation lasting several hours after the class; and
after attending regularly for one to two months, some
experienced an actual decrease in psychiatric symptoms. All of
these studies affirm that every time we choose to make the
positive effort of stepping onto the yoga mat, we are actually
changing our brain chemistry.
Another way to look at how yoga psychology can
help reframe our thinking is to view yoga, according to Amy
Weintraub, as Dukha vs. Sukha. “Dukha” in Sanskrit, the
language of Yoga, meaning “obstructed space” which happens any
time there is a compression of body or mind, or a suppression of
some emotions. “Sukha” the opposite, refers to “open space” or
happiness. Yoga postures and pranayama decompress areas of
tension, expanding the lungs and increasing blood flow, thus
creating more inner space within the body and mind to relieve
congestion or blockages.
All of these positive uses for yoga naturally
flow out of the first of the yoga restraints or commitments
“Ahimsa”, “a” meaning no and “himsa” meaning harm. Ahimsa is
the opposite of violence or aggression, an expression of love
and caring. Yoga teaches us how to approach our bodies;
physical, mental and emotional in a kind and loving way. This
approach to a yoga practice inevitably leads to balance and
harmony, and can help you heal both mental and physical illness
over time. It becomes your gift to yourself.
Anna
Rychner is a psychiatric nurse and yoga therapist at Orlanu
Therapies, a Healing Center. Visit her website at
www.lifewavesyoga.com or contact her by calling 414-333-9676
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