Yoga & Depression: Finding Support in the Practice
The transition to the darkest days and coldest nights may have felt a little harder lately: the ongoing political climate and global events have more of an impact than we often realize, the stress and expectation of the holiday season can bring with it immense overwhelm, and often, in between the holidays, is a sense of isolation from nature and others during this season.
So when a time of year that is meant for nesting, hibernation, and reflection is complicated by things that impact our body, mind, and spirit/being, it can feel like we’re alone on an island, waiting in a liminal space for the buds of spring.
And if you already struggle with depression, whew, this time of year can be immensely impactful. Daylight savings may have snuck up on you, existing depression may still feel concurrent with the seasonal change, a frustrating weight that can leave us with our thought cycles and rumination for what’s to come in the new year.
When we situate ourselves in a sense of understanding and acceptance, we are able to meet ourselves where we are at, which is a core tenant of our yoga practices at Room to Breathe. Instructors shepherd and hold space for how the body is attending to all that it carries, how the weariness of the season can bring a weariness in our bones and how we can care for that shift and change.
So how can yoga support someone through a time of year that can hold a heaviness of a thousand tons?
It’s certainly not going to fix anything overnight, of course, but practicing an intentional, somatic practice has immense benefits for any time of year, yet especially during a time where the body may desire softness and gentleness, where the mind may crave reflection or awareness of the past year, where the spirit/being may want to hold loved ones closer - those natural instincts may be overtaken by the expectations of the season. Yoga helps to center and ground us to the present - not the busyness of traditions, not the isolation of winter - rather it brings us closer to ourselves and what our system is truly needing.
Practicing in community, whether asynchronous or present in the space itself, can be healing and a challenge to the thoughts of depression that often make us feel alone and isolated - “I’m the only one struggling with this, what’s wrong with me?” - and draws us into a shared experience that lets us know that we are not suffering alone, nor in silence. Being in communion with yourself allows room to be in community with others, and a low-risk practice of community, like yoga, can be something to ease the system into collective action and care.
In a practice that focuses on creating space and expansion, we start with something more energizing (accessibly so) and move into a space of softness and ease. By building in check points with our systems, we are able to honor all that the body and mind are holding while also acknowledging what makes it different (or even difficult) to connect with the internal change that this season brings. The support and care for our system deserves to look a little different from what summer and autumn has brought us. Noticing the chilled air on your skin, the warmth of the internal furnace of the body, the need for different food and possibly more warmth in hot drinks and teas - it all offers different access points to our system and the transition of needs.
In our yoga practice, we can tailor that care to be central to how the body wants to move. In colder months, when depression often feels heavier, more stuck, our bodies may feel stiffer and need to develop more internal warmth as well as external, our minds may feel more scattered and need more quiet, our systems may need more connection to values so we’re utilizing our precious resources in a supportive, nourishing way. The yoga practice supports these endeavors through offering space to practice stillness, reflection, and ease; honoring the needs of the body and setting more realistic expectations for how hard the body can work; acknowledging limitations as a human and that we can’t do it all, especially when our energy is geared towards surviving the cold and dark.
Kath co-leads Yoga for Depression with Hannah Lee on Sunday, December 8th. This workshop will integrate gentle movement, reflection, and journaling around the themes of: hypoarousal, or the experience of fatigue and depletion; hyperarousal, or overstimulation from life or the holiday season; isolation; and balance.
Yoga is a tool, not a treatment. If you are struggling with depression and looking for support, please reach out to our therapy team. If you have a more immediate need, please see our crisis resources here.