Depression indicates a state of being that is consistently hopeless and sad and occasionally agitated. If untreated, depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. While doctors attempt to alleviate depression symptoms with drugs and psychotherapy, yoga therapists try to help students out of depression, quiet their minds and put them in contact a deeper purpose for living, according to the Yoga Journal website.
Types
Yoga therapists will sometimes classify students' depressive problems as marked by tamas, a guna (or quality) of ayurveda, a holistic, natural Indian system of medicine. Tamas is associated with a feeling of lethargy, inertia and hopelessness. Students who have tamasic depression generally have collapsed chests, sunken eyes and slumped shoulders. They often appear like deflated balloons and seem to be barely breathing. Another type of depression is classified as rajasic, or associated with restlessness and senseless activity. These students typically have stiff bodies, look angry, irritated and have a hardness around their eyes. They often have trouble exhaling.
Identification
Yoga therapists often prescribe yoga exercises to their students based on their guna quality, or disposition. For tamasic-depressed people, therapists recommend doing vigorous practices like sun salutation series, arm balances and inversions. They also recommend back bending and close their classes with deep-relaxation sessions. Yoga therapists recommend less-intense sun salutations and back-bending exercises for those with rajasic dispositions, instead focusing on lengthier relaxation sessions. They provide those with tamasic dispositions more physical activity than those with rajasic temperaments.
Features
In addition to the physical movements, yoga for depression exercises include pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation and kirtan (call and response chanting). The breathing exercises help to control and calm the mind, bringing both hemispheres of the brain into balance. Meditation helps alleviate some of the helpless feelings associated with depression. Kirtan, a form of chanting or singing, helps lift the spirit and brings a sense of joy to daily life.
Significance
Harvard Medical School has researched the effectiveness of meditation and other yoga-related techniques for treating depression. The school reports that research indicates that yoga practices can help decrease the impact of stress by serving as a self-soothing technique, similar to exercise, relaxation or just socializing with friends.
Considerations
People who have depression and would like to start practicing yoga as a way to combat it should consult their doctors before doing so, to make sure they do not have any medical conditions that would prevent them from practicing yoga.
