YogMantra | Whether it’s prolonged depression or just the winter blues, yoga can help

Last update:November 30, 2024, 10:50 am IST

Prolonged mental stress that changes brain chemistry requires constant stay in yoga. A yogic lifestyle is an important tool for coping with depression

Breathing practices or Pranayamas help by energizing the brain and nervous system. (PTI)

The disease of depression seems to have taken on pandemic proportions after Covid-19. It seems to be everywhere, affecting both young and old people, with varying intensity.

Although it is a phenomenon that occurs throughout the year, winters are the time when the blues hit harder, and sadness, emptiness and feelings of depression permeate the being. . Depression during the cold and fall months (seasonal affective disorder) has been associated with a decrease in solar energy, which overall decreases vital energy, and special efforts are required to keep the body warm and healthy. working condition.

Antidepressant medications are usually prescribed to provide the chemicals that can correct brain chemistry that has gone wrong. Yet they can, at best, be a short-term measure serving as crutches. The search for better and sustainable alternatives is ongoing. Yoga is one such system that has been shown to help manage depression.

After all, the very purpose of Yoga is to control the mind: the definition given by the sage Patanjali is “Yogah Chitti Vritti Nirodhah”, which means “Yoga is that which stops the modifications of the mind”. Yoga gurus assure that the path of the eight limbs or Ashtanga Yoga, practiced regularly by healthy people, normally prevents the onset of mental illnesses. In this, its first two members – Yamas and Niyamas, the do’s and don’ts – must also be taken and practiced seriously, because they are what serve to build good relationships with others and with ourselves .

YOGA PRACTICES FOR DEPRESSION

Among the physical asanas that work for depression, inversions and back bends are the most helpful because the brain receives more blood and the spine is activated.

Breathing practices or Pranayamas help, again, by energizing the brain and nervous system. Kapalabhati pranayama quickly energizes the system, cleans it of toxins and induces activity by activating the sympathetic nervous system. Diaphragmatic breathing and Bhramari (bee breath) activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping the body relax after stress.

However, practices may vary. Yoga techniques cannot have uniform applicability; The pose that will work as a therapy depends on the individual’s constitution and contraindications. This is why the emphasis is on learning Yoga from an experienced teacher, someone who has applied it to themselves and someone who understands people.

Then just doing the poses for a few weeks won’t help. Prolonged mental stress that changes brain chemistry requires us to constantly practice yoga. This is where the yogic lifestyle becomes an important tool for dealing with depression.

“FIND THE CAUSE. REMOVE THE CAUSE”

Even for a practicing Yogi, there are factors that can trigger depression. The famous classical yogi Swami Sivananda Saraswati, who was originally a doctor living abroad, took up yoga specifically so that he could treat his patients more comprehensively.

Depression, according to him, has different causes which may include: an upset stomach, cloudy days, bad company, the influence of astral bodies and the appearance of latent tendencies (samskaras).

The remedies for depression suggested by this Master Yogi are simple and include:

Take a long brisk walk.

Drink a small cup of orange juice or hot tea or coffee.

Run outdoors.

Take a walk by the sea or by the river.

Do the refreshing pranayama, Sitali.

Play the harmonium (or other stringed instrument).

Have fun.

Sing hymns and devotional songs.

Chant any mantra out loud for an hour; it could even be the smallest mantra “Om”.

Read good books, especially ancient scriptures.

If necessary, take a purgative.

“Calm the revolting mind, sensual thoughts and agitated senses (all are symptoms of depression) with song and prayer. Counter procrastination and inconsistency by making firm resolutions and implementing them immediately,” he says. He adds that a light and saatvik diet will support them. Finally, a change will be brought in speech, actions and thoughts.

BEHAVIOR AGAINST DEPRESSION

Renowned Ayurveda and Yoga guru Vamadeva Shastri of the American Institute of Vedic Studies squarely attributes depression to “overstimulation by an externalizing mind that rarely looks inward.” According to him, we constantly need new things to stimulate us, in particular the media, social networks. physical activity and drugs. Additionally, we can become dependent on a particular stimulation to energize us and once this is taken away, we become depressed.

The way forward, according to Shastri, is not to seek happiness externally: “We must learn to withdraw from external stimulations and develop our own internal creativity, motivation and discipline. »

Some techniques he suggests to combat depression are:

The “nasya” process to clear the sinuses and bring more prana into the head; practice Pranayama to bring deeper energy to the brain. “It’s hard to fall into depression if our sinuses and lungs are open and our breathing is deep and full,” he says.

Use herbal teas to improve circulation to the brain. Chant mantras to move our energy. Get the body moving with yoga asanas, nature hikes and swimming.

Do service work for others who are in more difficult situations than you.

Meditate regularly to cultivate awareness of your inner self.

Ultimately, we must view depression as a sign that we need to detach ourselves and move to a new level of consciousness.

The author is a journalist, cancer survivor and certified yoga teacher. She can be contacted at [email protected].