Yoga And Depression

 Michael L Smith

Michael L Smith


I am “out­ing” myself: I have suf­fered from depres­sion since child­hood, even though I did not know what to call my per­sis­tent, cycli­cal blues until 1993. When I turned 40, the depres­sion started wors­en­ing — in another era it would be called a mid-​​life cri­sis or ner­vous break­down.

In a series of melt­downs, I lost jobs and burned through life sav­ings and a home. I lay­ered on mul­ti­ple coats of guilt and shame on top of what was happen­ing to me. The con­di­tion made me inca­pable of writ­ing and crit­i­cal think­ing. For some­one who lived off writ­ing and whose very self-​​definition was based on being a writer, it was a bit­ter real­iza­tion. In 1996, my psy­chi­a­trist told me that he could not promise that I would ever write pro­fes­sion­ally again — time to look for another career.

If it weren’t for my fam­ily, I would have been des­ti­tute. I lived in my parent’s base­ment for 16 months. My kids stopped their uni­ver­sity stud­ies so that they could con­tribute to sup­port­ing the house­hold. [Thanks, Stephanie]

A case of refrac­tory depres­sion is a very hum­bling expe­ri­ence — you can only focus on now. You look back on all the deci­sions and fail­ures driven by your ill­ness, the dis­ap­point­ments and the pain, the suf­fer­ing to your loved ones. You have to release all that because there is noth­ing you can do now to change that. The future becomes some­thing dis­tant, and impos­si­ble to plan because you can­not guar­an­tee that you can perform. You are stripped down to now, the present. You just have to take one day at a time and try to build on it. It also makes you very self­ish because you have your hands full resolv­ing your own prob­lems, and can’t take on other people’s problems. Continue reading

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Yoga Helps My Fitness And More

Yoga Weight Loss
With certain types of yoga come certain health benefits including the burning of calories through intense, moderately paced movements. Yoga also improves flexibility and strength. I can now touch my toes with the legs straight – I haven’t been able to do that since middle school! Yoga (also) decreases heart rate and blood pressure, which is good for people like me who become upset at the slightest little thing that does not go their way. Yoga improves physical endurance, posture (if you have to keep your back straight for the entire session, your body will become used to it), and balance. I have personally noticed that it helps with allergies. I have horrible allergies, and when I practice yoga, within ten minutes I can breathe normally and my eyes are not bright red anymore.

Yoga also improves mental health…and has been shown to help memory and concentration. It is definitely easier for me to concentrate after taking this class. My mind wanders when I am presented with a task that I do not want to perform and now I sit down and get the job done. (Yoga) has also been shown to help with one’s acceptance of oneself, which may be the most important health benefit of them all.

I used to take dance and martial arts classes when I was younger. Perhaps because of this I was not sore after the first class. I was, however, very tired. It was difficult for me to accept the fact that I was out of shape. I am 21 years old. It should not be difficult for me to work out at a steady pace for about two hours. I was determined to become more flexible, strong, and have more endurance by the time this class was over….I had gained a significant amount of weight last summer (about 35 pounds) and have not been able to successfully take and keep it off. About halfway through the (six week course), I realized that I could run up and down stairs and not be panting when I reached a landing. My stomach wasn’t flowing over the waistband of my pants as much. I could carry more things to and from my car than I could previously… I can’t say I don’t slouch at all anymore, but I am definitely more aware of it and will straighten my back when I realize I am slouching…

I never thought yoga would affect me the way it has. This class made my walking and jogging class easy! I will definitely keep doing the sun salutations after this class is over, and hopefully I will have the opportunity to take a yoga class again.

This post was written by Jennifer Wright as a testimonial for Ashtanga Yoga Maryland. This has been reposted with permission. Click here to go to the original.

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A Dance Routine Gone Wrong?

A trainee lawyer is doing a Michael Jackson gig for Britains got talent when his act takes a sudden and unexpected twist. A highly entertaining video watched by millions.

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True Purpose Of Asanas

In this video Sri Dharma Mittra indicates that the true purpose of yoga postures is to prepare the body for meditation. If the body is not healthy and the mind-body is not calm, meditation becomes difficult to do. He says that besides caming down the mind-body, the practice of yoga postures will give “radiant health”. He also indicates that beyond the physical, yoga postures helps at the mental and astral body level too.

“It is not necessary to put your legs behind your head and do fancy postures,” Dharma Mittra advices. “Only a few postures are required.” He speaks highly of the head-stand, the shoulder-stand, the spinal twist, and the cobra. (Please note that the head-stand and shoulder stand can cause injury and should be done only under the supervision of an experienced teacher.)

Sri Dharma Mittra, born Carlos Augusto Vargas in 1939 in Pirapora, Brazil, has been practicing yoga for over 50 years. He is regarded as one of the earliest adopters of yoga in the west. He is an ordained monk and a life long celibate. He is the author of the “Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures”, created in 1984. In addition he is the author of many books and videos and can be found in his “Dharma Yoga Center” in New York City.

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The Meaning Of Namaste

Namaste
My father was a pastor of a Protestant church, thus, making me what is known as a preacher’s kid. PKs have a reputation for being goodie-two-shoes who later rebel against the confines of church doctrine and social practice. During my childhood, my family’s activities revolved around my father’s ministry and the activities of the church.

One of the most emotionally rewarding experiences I had as a child was going to the altar after my dad gave a sermon and called for the congregation to give their souls to Christ. I longed to feel the warmth of my father’s arms around my shoulder, praying quietly in my ear, reassuring me of God’s love and mercy, pardoning my sins and blessing my renewed devotion. The altar was the only place where I felt his physical affection for me.

When I became a teenager, my father stopped praying with me at the altar, and I was helped by other church elders. He probably thought it was better to have another adult listen to my confessions rather than superimpose his fatherly figure on my relationship with God. Needless to say, it was a dispiriting, disconcerting experience for me. Continue reading

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