For people who suffer from bipolar disorder, the manic highs and depressive lows consume a huge amount of energy. The disorder is treated through medication and talk therapy, but that's not enough. Some types of mind-body work, such as yoga, help make living with bipolar disorder more manageable.
Understanding Bipolar Disorder
Having bipolar disorder means you swing between depression and mania. Mania comes in two forms, full-blown and hypomania. A diagnosis of Bipolar 1 means you have full-blown mania. Bipolar 2 designates hypomania, a milder form. According to mental health expert and writer Julie Fast, who has Bipolar 1, mania can be euphoric and creative, or dysphoric and full of anxiety and insomnia. Unfortunately, many antidepressants are incompatible with bouts of mania, so people with bipolar can't always use the medications that work well for people with simpler depression. Other manifestations of bipolar disorder include anxiety, irritation, anger and suicidal impulses.
Blocked Energy
Yoga has been used successfully in reducing the anxiety of people with bipolar disorder. Psychotherapist Stephen Cope, who wrote "Yoga and the Quest for the True Self," says yoga postures elevate the mood by moving energy through the body and away from places where feelings of anger and grief are stored. Yoga teacher Liz Owen, who works with many depressed people, also focuses on releasing blocked energy. She says energy knots called "granthis" in Sanskrit form at the navel, heart and throat.
Yoga in Conjunction with Other Treatment
At Casa Palmera, a mental health treatment center in California, yoga is an important part of therapy for managing symptoms of bipolar disorder. The Casa Palmera website says bipolar medications treat mania well but don't do so much for managing depression and anxiety. The center uses yoga as a complementary treatment for reducing anxiety, stress, depression and anger.
Gentle Yoga
When Liz Owen teaches yoga to depressed students, she combines short stays in active poses with long holds in supported restorative poses. The use of props such as bolsters, blankets and blocks help anxious people relax into tangible support. She also teaches people with bipolar disorder to work with their breath. Owen says anxiety leads to short breaths, and depressed people often breathe shallowly and unevenly. If you learn to smooth out your breath, your emotions might follow.
References
- "Psychology Today"; Yoga can help you beat depression. How hatha yoga saved the life of one manic depressive; Amy Weintraub; November 1, 2000
- Casa Palmera: Yoga Therapy for Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder and Dual Diagnosis
- Belief Net: Heal your life force, find peace of mind, and relieve your depressive or bipolar symptoms; Liz Owen
- Bipolar Happens: Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
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