‘Feeling’ can be painful. And it can be tough. Not everyone wants to talk about it, but everyone wants to feel better. Our mind and body has a certain capacity for pain and discomfort. When this capacity is exceeded a disconnect or an over-connection happens between the mind and body leaving you dysregulated, feeling anxious, depressed or both. Yoga helps build capacity. It helps build tolerance for discomfort and pain, two things that are inevitable in life. Tolerance and capacity are needed to feel less reactive, more calm and balanced.
Originally developed over 5000 years ago in Northern India, yoga is a mind/body practice that uses postures, breath and awareness to deepen the connection with self and promote balance and calm. The purpose of yoga is to train the body and mind to self-observe and become more aware of one’s own internal nature. Yoga is used to cultivate awareness, self-regulation, and discernment of thoughts and feelings. Modern day research proves it to be an effective tool in supporting mental health and overall wellness.
Yoga, with a therapist that is trained in neuroscience and therapy, supports your nervous system to come back online in a safe environment. Yoga helps to slowly develop tolerance and capacity to feel again. It offers you the chance to understand your internal processes, the relationship your nervous system has with its environment, with a sense of safety and with a sense of connection. Through Yoga for Depression you become aware of the ‘loop’ and develop curiosity of how it works. With this understanding you are empowered for change.
To break the ‘loop’ of depression, two key components are needed, self-empathy and self-compassion. The practice of yoga offers time and space to develop the skill of empathy and a heart of compassion. With this, you can change your relationship with depression and decrease its impact on your life and wellbeing.