An article about how yoga can help psychiatric patients struck me today because it is something that I practiced with my patients before I retired. I did yoga with them. It was the beginning of my development holistically.
I still practice it myself. I also bring in acupressure, aromatherapy and reflexology into my current teaching sessions.
The article came from Psychology Today focused on healing through yoga.
Many psychiatric patients are given up on because cycling and readmission to the hospital makes it difficult for family members to deal with the crisis situations.
Most people who have mental disabilities will try anything for some relief and the chance to get better.
Today there is much research on how much yoga can help because it incorporates specific postures, meditation and deep abdominal breathing techniques that can relax the body, mind and spirit.
If practiced daily, many patients can decrease the amount of medication they need to take because their anxiety level is so much lower through learning techniques that can help with producing a calm and centered feeling.
Today, hatha yoga has been researched, and these new studies have shown a high success rate.
Up to 73% of the people studied were helped, especially for the treatment of depression.
The study involved the use of a pranayama technique taught in the U. S. as ” The Healing Breath Technique” This technique which involves breathing naturally through the nose, mouth closed, in 3 distinct rhythms has shown promise in reducing depression.
Other areas of hatha yoga that helps emotional difficulties includes postures to improve the mood and stave off depression.
People learn about their emotions through yoga because they can pay attention to the emotions that are expressed through their body. They can also learn to be mindful and observe their body, mind and emotions without judgment. This is important as a first step toward decreasing depression.
Taken in part from:
Weintraub, A. (Nov/Dec. 2000 Psychology Today Yoga: It’s Not just an Exercise.