Depression and Yoga

Posted by Alicia King May 30, 2008

I have written a few articles about Mindful Speech, and Complaining Mindfully. Mindful speech reminds us to ask ourselves if what we are about to say is true, kind, and necessary.

I've been a bit behind in my article postings - and my blogs - because for the past few weeks I've been depressed. I didn't know how depressed until my boyfriend made me promise him I would go see my therapist....

These topics are far more closely related than most people realize. The thing is, ahimsa and satya apply to our self-talk just as much as they speak to how we treat the rest of the world.

Depression is caused by habitual thought patterns that repeat themselves like destructive mantras. We hurt our own feelings with these thoughts. The trick is to slow down, and examine the thoughts. Approach each one individually and assess it, just as you would some comment that you were about to make:

• Is it True? Look at the false logic, pick it apart, then you can discount the thought!
• Is it Kind? Depression is caused by unkind self-talk. Tell that snarky voice in your head to back off!
• Is it Necessary? It's your brain's job to think. You aren't going to be able to stop the stream of thoughts swirling around in your head. Using Yoga to slow them down and look at the thoughts objectively will allow you to discern which thoughts help you, and which ones hold you back.

Wow, there’s way more than a blog here! Stay tuned for more articles on Yoga and Depression