Guide to Yoga Therapy for Depression and Stress

More and more people are choosing to incorporate yoga therapy into their health regimen, and even many doctors are starting to recommend it in accompaniment to conventional medicine. This is because there are many benefits involved, in both physical and mental health. While modern, scientific medicine always looks for a physical factor for problems, the idea behind yoga is that it searches for the root of the problem elsewhere - such as in the state of the mind and soul. No matter what you believe, there is hardly any refuting that yoga is a great way to relax and relieve built-up stress, which also makes it a great therapy for combating depression. It helps lessen tense areas of the body, including those associated with depression, and helps to release more endorphins - which are like nature's anti-depressant, as they are natural chemicals in our body that make us feel good.

When compared to other, conventional depression treatments, yoga therapy has great benefits. It is low or no-cost to learn and do, you don't have to worry about undesirable side effects that prescription anti-depressant medication can bring, and the need for a therapist may be minimized. However, severe depression and bipolar disorder should never be ignored, and should always be treated by a doctor. But even in extreme cases of depression, there is no harm in incorporating both professional treatment and yoga therapy - in fact, it will very likely even help a lot.

Specific Exercises

There are quite a few yoga exercises that are great for stress and depression. One of the most common is the Sun Salutation, moved into from the Mountain Pose.

- The Mountain Pose: This is a great way to begin any yoga routine, as it starts easy and sets the mind into a calmer, peaceful mode. With this you simply stand as still as possible with your arms at your sides and feet together. Make sure your back is straight.

- The Sun Salutation: Probably the most famous yoga exercise, you will recognize this as soon as you see the moves or begin to perform it. It helps to regulate breathing, continue your peace of mind, stretches your joints and muscles, and makes you feel energized in preparation for more exercises or just the oncoming day. A step-by-step description of how to perform this exercise is here.

- The Fish Pose: After the relaxing Sun Salutation, this one is a great move for furthering relaxability and the release of any tension hidden away in the muscles of your back, neck and shoulders. It's also perfect when it comes to anxiety, heartache or depression, as it helps to ease or even get rid of that achy, pressurized feeling that tends to accumulate in the chest. Full description of how to perform this is here.

- The Child's Pose: This is a great one to move straight into from the Fish pose. After releasing the pressure in your chest and other high-tension areas of the body, turn to this exercise to give you more of a feeling of safety and comfort. Staying in this pose for as long as you can will help further calm the mind and give you an overall peaceful feeling. Go here for description of how to perform this exercise.

- The Warrior I Pose: For a needed boost of confidence, this is a great pose to perform in the midst of your yoga routine or even any time you want to raise your mental and emotional strength levels along with your self-esteem. The Warrior will definitely help make your physical and mental strengths feel more balanced. A full description of how to perform this is here.

- The Corpse Pose: The perfect way to end your yoga routine, or simply to help you relax before bed if you have trouble sleeping, the Corpse helps you fall into an easy, relaxing, meditative pose that will keep your mind as smooth as calm water. This can also help to start your day with, as with depression sometimes it can be hard to even want to get out of bed or do anything. This will help provide you the peace and motivation necessary. Check here for exact instructions on how to do this.

There are of course many other yoga exercises that provide different benefits. If you're looking into helping ease stress or depression with yoga therapy, the key is to keep active and punctual with it. When it becomes a routine is when you will really start noticing the benefits it can provide.