Yoga for Depression

We all have depression at one point or another. As a therapist, i see the gamut from normative sadness after a loss, to low level sustained sadness, like when everything seems kind of grey, to can't get out of bed and do your normal daily stuff. any and all of these should get some professional attention especially if it's persistent. that said, there are so many things we can do to support our good mental health and that's when yoga comes in!

According to the Harvard Medical School, "Available reviews of a wide range of yoga practices suggest they can reduce the impact of exaggerated stress responses and may be helpful for both anxiety and depression. In this respect, yoga functions like other self-soothing techniques, such as meditation, relaxation, exercise, or even socializing with friends.Taming the stress responseBy reducing perceived stress and anxiety, yoga appears to modulate stress response systems. This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal — for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing respiration. There is also evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body’s ability to respond to stress more flexibly." ah ha! and since depression and anxiety are usually well acquainted, we'll address that in future posts! check out this link