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Have you seen the latest article regarding a study, published in The Harvard Gazette? "In the eight-week trial, 80 participants were randomized into two groups: one that received 90-minute sessions of Bikram yoga practiced in a 105°F room and a second group that was placed on a waitlist"- Here is the link, I highly recommend giving it a read! Afterwards, continue on here to read some of my thoughts on it!  I am def no stranger to depression. I began my yoga journey at a time in my life when I was lost. Recently, I wrote about my yoga journey and it was published in a compilation with other yogis in a book called "Within" (it's available for sale at the studio). I didn't mention I was depressed in the book, but there were def some indications, at the time, that there was some underlying hints of depression, especially looking back.
Postpartum depression hit me hard, and going through menopause, with the decreased levels of estrogen I have felt hints once again, going up and down, in and out of it. A couple of hard life changes brought about other bouts of depression as well. The thing that was consistent through all this for me was my yoga practice. My yoga allowed me to be aware of it, but not BE it. I was able to not identify with it, I got to notice it, but detach from it. I could look at it from a distance and know that it is only passing. I knew that that is not WHO I am. The reason, is because of my yoga practice. Yoga is the study of the self. Self Realization. I know myself so well from my yoga practice, so much so, that I knew that the depression was not who I am. Eventually, with consistent practice, the effects of depression would gently subside and even disappear. One of the things I love about this article is that it indicates you can practice only once a week and still receive the benefits! WOW! Imagine 2 or 3 times a week. I feel my best with 4 or 5 times a week. I also love that it mentioned Bikram Yoga as the yoga the participants practiced. I feel this is an important distinction to make. And last of course, I have to mention what you see in a Bikram Yoga Community...... smiling happy faces!!! Even when I am having a rough day, or feeling down, as soon as I walk through the door and up the stairs, it completely shifts my attitude. The greetings from the students, all the smiles, practicing together.......there is nothing better for me!!! So grateful! Bikram Yoga is def my anti depressant!!!
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You should be SO proud of yourself!!! Whether you have never practiced Bikram Yoga or you know what you are getting yourself into...LOL....the fact that you show up is something to be celebrated. I talk with many many people inquiring about starting something new with Bikram Yoga. They have many valid concerns and fears, as did I when I first started practicing. As I do my best to ease their worries and answer all their questions, I often find myself teaching and being so impressed with all my students in front me, and I think about how much courage it took for them to show up today! I am so grateful!
We don't always see what someone went through before they stepped into the yoga studio. (Be kind to one another). Especially, if it is someone for their first time. The heat can be intimidating, the level of fitness may not be where you want it to be, and honestly, it is not the easiest thing to look at yourself straight ahead, for 90 minutes, in the mirror! I know! But somehow, each and everyone of you, muster up the courage to take your first step into the studio, or dig deep into your self discipline to get back into the room time and time again! Amazing! You come together with the people around you, breathe together, move together, and realize you are all capable of so much more than you think. You see yourself doing the postures, you can look around and see others with similar struggles doing the postures, and you realize you are a part of something. Something that has tremendous healing benefits on the quality of your life! And you realize it is not as scary as you may have thought it was ;) This is the first step to having enough respect for yourself to take care of yourself! Showing up! It takes courage!!! One of the many things I love about Bikram Yoga is that every single person can do this. We aren't doing headstands or advanced postures, which not everyone can do, we aren't using blocks or other tools, just you, yourself, your body, and where you are on that day. It is truly the best when I get to see you all realize how much more capable you are of doing things that you didn't think you could! See you in the hot room!! I love how our yoga practice can provide us with a platform to work on our well being in ways we sometimes don't even realize. It is the very structure of our class that can bring about opportunities to cultivate the deep aspects of yoga. These deeper aspects of yoga I am talking about are the 8 limbs of yoga. The 8 limbs of yoga are guidelines for living a life in a purposeful way. In this blog I am going to talk about the 5th limb - "Pratyahara".
What is the def of a complaint? It is a statement about something that is unsatisfactory. A complaint can have profound negative affects on our body, not only for the person saying the complaint but also for the person that hears the complaint. Studies have shown that complaints can create stress hormones in our bodies for both giver and receiver, they decrease our brain function, as well as over time it can re-wire our brain negatively. What is the definition of Pratyahara? Pratyahara in sanskrit means to withdraw with the senses. Think of what a turtle does when it draws back in towards itself, it pulls it limbs and head in. This is what we do with our senses in Pratyahara. It is the energy behind a statement that can take something from an observation to a complaint. When we learn to withdraw our senses, we can then learn how to detach from the things outside us that bother us. It also allows us to take a step back and take a look at ourselves. Practice the art of Pratyahara. When you detach from your senses, instead of losing your senses...... what you actually do is change your state of mind! You gain more focus on yourself. You are able to let go of the things around you that bother you. Then, only you can meditate deeper! Next time you feel like you want to complain about the heat, or how the teacher is teaching or how the weather is outside, about this or that, or about the smells around you, whatever it is......instead with all your awareness, pull your senses inwards. Become completely immersed with your hearing, sensing and smelling within yourself and withdraw your attachment to what you want it to be and see how much better you feel!!! |
AuthorDanelle, owner, mother, massage therapist, sound healer, and Bikram Yoga practitioner Archives
February 2024
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