Depression is a serious disturbance of the mind that not just requires prolonged treatment but disturbs the day to day life of an individual. Though psychotherapy helps treating depression, yoga has proven ways to deal with depression and could be performed by the individual without taking help from therapist. Following are few yoga poses that fight depression effectively without medical intervention
Yoga poses that fight depression:
1. Bellows breathing:
Bhastrika is a forceful and effortful breathing practice wherein effort gets transmitted to the entire body. It is a form of pranayama where one has to perform hyper ventilations in sets of ten. Overdoing might exhaust the system and is not recommended for those with cardiac conditions, fever or inflammatory diseases.
2. Vayu vardhakmudra:
Mudras are relaxing poses where specific spots in the body are stimulated as in acupuncture.
- In this pose, sit with legs folded, rest hands over the thighs and touch the tip of the index finger with the help of tip of the thumb.
People with serious clinical depression conditions should hold on to this mudra for a long time period. This mudra stimulates the mind and creates interest in life.
3. Surya mudra:
- Sit in the relaxing position, press the ring finger with the thumb and hold on in this meditation pose for a long time, even during watching TV or relaxing.
- It can be repeated several times a day and enhances heat in the body.
4. Fish pose:
- Lie on the back with palms resting under the back, ensure sides of the thumb touch each other and legs are stretched out.
- Lift the head, look at the toes.
- Exhale to drop the head back and arch to for the head to touch the ground.
- Keep the mouth close and push the chest out.
- This pose could be maintained for 15 seconds or more based on flexibility and practice.
This pose has proven to release hidden sorrows and enhances immunity and breathing pattern which are commonly poor in depression. While performing this pose it has been noticed that people would cry as their hidden sorrows get dislodged physically.
Pranayama is meant to cleanse the skull.
- To perform this appropriately, hold hands in the any mudra and close the eyes to perform deep inhalation and exhalation.
- The next step is to inhale slightly but exhale forcefully pretty continuously.
- It is important to practice fast breathing for 30 to 60 times for one round.
- Two to three rounds are to be performed.
- Initially this pose could get a person little dizzy especially for those on anti-depressives.
- This has to be avoided by those with serious cardiac conditions and heavy blood pressure.
Benefits of pranayama are that, it hyperventilates the mind and removes impact of negative thought patterns. It also excites and stimulates the mind and avoids laziness. It also impacts the body by enhancing immunity, improves skin tone and improves lung function.
All of these yoga techniques are been increasingly prescribed by doctors also to treat mild to severe forms of depression. Yoga is also been incorporated in the daily routine of major psychiatric units.