03 Jul Yoga benefits for depression

Yoga can provide complementary support for depression by addressing the different levels (biological, social, mental health, psychological).

Yoga can benefit depression in several specific ways:

• Improves nervous system function
• Decreases stress hormones
• Activates attention networks
• Reduces emotional reactivity
• Reduces dysfunctional thoughts
• Increases the functionality of dopamine & serotonin
• Holger Cramer ~ Yoga researcher

Yoga can help with increasing & improving self awareness & interoception. Helping us with:

• Presence
• Agency ( a feeling of I can do it)
• Self regulation (ability to regulate your nervous system)
• Resilience in nervous system
• Improved heart rate variability (tone of the vagus nerve)

Awareness foster greater balance in your nervouse system and awareness is a skill that can be developed and improved when you use slow yoga practices & breathing techniques.

Yoga benefits the brain & the whole person by:

• Slower yoga practices helps send accurate messages to brain structures that literally inform the sense of who we are
• When you feel safe and in touch with your body, you start to better understand who you are and what you need in life
• You can get better in touch with your values and proprieties, and from there make good decisions which may include making healthier rather than destructive behaviours.
• Exploring the other limbs of yoga