Yoga for Depression: The Natural Remedy

Yoga for Depression: The Natural Remedy

Introduction to Depression, its Reasons and Symptoms:

The majority of the population worldwide is dealing with tension of some kind and its negative repercussions, such as panic attacks, constant depressive disorders, thoughts of suicide, etc. It is a medical condition in which the victim has ongoing emotions of worthlessness, despair, and apathy. 

In short, depression is a demonic force that destroys mental and cognitive abilities. The state of your health is negatively impacted by it as well. This emotional threat makes it impossible for a person to live a regular life.

Depression can be caused by several reasons:

• If the family has a history of depression or mental disorders.
• If the person goes through changes in brain chemistry or there are any imbalances in neurotransmitters.
• If you tend to ponder upon things continuously or are frequently consumed by unfavourable ideas.
• If you make it a practise of constantly criticising oneself, even for the tiniest errors.
• If you have had a significant mental trauma and are unable to recover.
• If you battle with a poor sense of self-worth issue.
• If you live in a hostile or aggressive atmosphere.
• If you experience loneliness or social problems or are in an unhealthy relationship.
• If you have certain medical conditions like imbalance of hormones.
• If you are on excessive alcohol consumption or usage of drugs that keep the capability of brain alteration.

A depressed person commonly shows the following symptoms:

• Losing interest in leading a happy and joyful life.
• Not able to sleep properly.
• Feeling tired all the time.
• Not able to concentrate.
• Inability to make decisions.
• Not able to trust anyone.
• Feeling worthless all the time.
• Hopeless about the future.
• Not able to come out of guilt or regret.

An exceptionally reactive individual typically experiences depression. Depression, in essence, is the cognitive response that occurs when an individual has some type of psychological, physical, or social anguish. Having depression is perpetually upsetting. It must be dealt with as little delay as feasible. While some seek the assistance of therapists and others begin taking potentially dangerous prescriptions, others turn to yoga for anxiety and depression to find solace.

How Helpful is Yoga for Anxiety and Depression?

Stress is always there and may lead to depression. Luckily, our ancestors gifted us with yoga, and studies have proved that it helps in reduction in depression-related symptoms and their other negative impacts on health.

• If you include yoga in your daily routine, you will notice positive improvements in yourself. The following points will tell you how yoga is helpful in managing anxiety and depression:
• It engages you physically and helps you in taking your mind away from depressing thoughts.
• The technique of pranayama for depression calms your mind and teaches it to remain in the present and enjoy it fully.
• It makes you self-aware and you learn to control your negative thoughts and overthinking patterns.
• When you join yoga classes, you meet so many people during the sessions. You come in touch with different kinds of people and some of them prove to be supportive and can help you come out of your problems that may be causing depression.
• With yoga, the mind stays calm and away from wandering thoughts. This helps in having sound and peaceful sleep.
• Being engaged in yoga keep you highly energetic and in a positive mood.
• There are so many self-care activities that are performed during yoga sessions. These activities make you feel your self-worth and you start to care about yourself.

Yoga Poses for Depression– The Process of Mind Healing

To combat depression, people keep on finding various ways. However, one of the best methods to beat depression is in an age-old practice, called yoga.

There are various asanas and pranayama that are useful in providing relief from the problem. Several studies have been conducted in this regard to show its advantages in tackling depression and the results of these studies support the claims made by the practitioners.

Here we are mentioning various yoga poses for depression. To attempt these poses at home look for a suitable spot where you can do them disruption-free.

Yoga Aasana 1 – Child Pose (Baalasana): Your restless mind is soothed and relaxed, and anxious and stressful episodes are diminished. The nervous system in your body continues to work properly, which keeps your mental health in good condition.

Yoga Aasana 2 – Plow Pose (Halasana): The nervous system performs better as a result of it. The individual continues to be upbeat and feels revitalised. Additionally, it activates the thyroid, which emits chemicals that help you stay positive.

Yoga Aasana 3 – Corpse Pose (Shavasana): To relax the brain, you must conduct some form of meditation while lying straight on the back on something flat. It is comparable to falling asleep mentally. This is considered to be one of the best yoga for depression. It balances the vata dosha and gives you a feeling of renewal.

Yoga Aasana 4 – Downward-facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana): The cognitive system’s health is enhanced by practising this stance, which causes it to get a greater amount of blood. As a result, symptoms like headaches, sleeplessness, fatigue, etc. are less common.

Yoga Aasana 5 – Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): It calms your brain by preventing unpleasant ideas from occurring. Additionally, it helps the thyroid glands operate better and expands up the lungs. As a result, it aids in reducing the depression issue.

Calm Your Mind with Pranayama for Depression:

Pranayama is also known as breathing exercises. It is considered to be the best yoga for depression. While doing breathing exercises, the person feels relaxed mentally and physically. They help in increasing mindfulness and the person learns to enjoy the present moment by controlling his/her wandering thoughts. Here are a few breathing exercises that you can try:

• Deep Belly Breathing (Diaphragmatic Breathing) or Kapalbhati
• 4-7-8 Breathing Technique
• Box Breathing
• Alternate Nostril Breathing
• Shitali Pranayama

Benefits of Yoga for Depression Revealed:

Life has its peaks and troughs for every individual. Depression may set in as a result of the second sort of stage. The body responds when you encounter anything unwelcome, making yoga practise all especially crucial at these times. The following is a list of the advantages of yoga:

• Both physically and psychologically, it relaxes you.
• Lifts your spirits and gives you a sense of vitality.
• Helps you learn to appreciate the here and now.
• Aids in the management of unfavourable emotions.
• Fosters an optimistic outlook.
• Assists you in achieving restful sleep.
• Offers a wonderful chance to meet individuals for encouragement and social engagement.
• Improves confidence and self-esteem.
• Makes mental health better.
• Induces a mind-body connection that creates a sense of calm and inner peace.
• Helps in relaxing your heart rate.

Conclusion:

In simple terms, yoga aids in the treatment of depressive disorders by calming the subconscious and exercising thinking discipline. This, along with pranayama, ought to remain a part of your normal daily regimen, regardless of whether or not you are depressed.