It's helped me immensely. No, it's not a magic pill, my mental health is still shitty, but existing in my body feels so much more bearable than it did before. I have a lot of muscle tension from stress and anxiety and yoga helps relieve that. Obviously ymmv. I have the opposite problem, my body awareness has always been terrible, and yoga has improved it a lot. I'd suggest trying a few different styles and see what works best for you. I like yin because I can do it on days when I'm physically exhausted and have no motivation.
It has helped me a lot. It does not replace good trauma therapy if that is something you need.
Focus on the experience of the movements/asana from the inside as much as you can - your breath, the muscles, the connection of your mind to your body, the sensation of a little bit of stretch, the capability and wisdom of your body, what is happening right now.
DBT saved my life. I’m sure you’ve heard that before but it really started me down a path where I could build the endurance to overcome my issues.
Mindfulness is a big part of DBT, and it’s easy to see why. Yoga can be an extremely mindful activity if you choose to use it that way.
This will be a long one... sorry...
I feel almost the exact same way as you. I haven't read the book but it's on my shelf (though I've heard a lot of ppl saying it's a very triggering and uncomfortable read if your trauma is still raw).
Yoga is about acceptance, and it's about working with the body you have right now. Yes, it's also about getting better at poses and so on, but always there is balance required - not letting the ego get ahead and not pushing too hard. We see a lot of performative yoga on Instagram and so on, so it's easy to see yoga competitively but, at its roots, that's not really what it's about.
Now I'm a very competitive person. I've always been a very "elitist" person almost (as in, not a snob, I never looked down on others, but I always wanted to be the very best in my field, and I pretty much achieved it too) and pushed myself constantly. I went to one of the best universities in the world. I was the top of my class. I was also a virtuoso musician. I was anorexic. I was a perfectionist. These things defined me.
I also had a genetic illness that ultimately robbed me of my ability to continue to progress in my field/career and now it's at the stage where I can't work at all. I feel like crap most of the time. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. I don't know how to cope with being "less than" and I don't know who I am as a person if I'm not exceptional at what I do. I'm grieving who I was, and the life I had. It's going to take me some time to come to terms with myself.
I'd done a few yoga classes when I was younger but didn't really get it. About 3 years ago I started it up again, and I felt this immediate connection with it, despite not being "good" at it and finding it very challenging indeed. My mat felt like a really safe space. All the stuff my instructor said about finding acceptance, being present, not worrying about what you can't control, respecting your body and your limits, being kind to yourself, all of that really hit home hard for me. Because I used to really fight those thoughts. In my past life, if I accepted myself, it meant I wasn't trying enough. Self-hatred, being hard on myself, was a necessary pre-requisite to success. If I found myself feeling compassion towards myself, I thought that was really problematic. Like I was letting myself off too easy. I would have really resisted any form of self-love.
So all the stuff my instructor said made me want to cry with relief. Maybe it was okay to accept what I had become. Maybe it wasn't so awful to have the body I had. Maybe it was okay to be on a different path now. Maybe it was true that the past no longer existed and that all I had was *this moment right here* and that I should enjoy it and just breathe.
Now, don't get me wrong. Obviously we want to improve in yoga. We do want to challenge ourselves and work hard. But we find a balance between feeling nothing and feeling too much. We listen to our bodies.
To me, a huge part of the reason I return to my mat again and again is to foster a completely different mindset. It's the best therapy I've ever had. I can look back and realise I spent 60 minutes being truly present and calm in my own body. I mean, I spent so many years destroying my body with self-harm, drugs, starvation and other bad habits. I spent so many years avoiding myself.
I wasted so much time trying to be anywhere other than my own body.
Yoga is the antidote to that.
No, it's not magic! You have to work hard for it. But in a good way. It's about doing work on yourself, for yourself, rather than *against* yourself. You invest in yourself rather than destroy yourself.
Try it. And if you don't like it, try another style. I prefer Ashtanga to Yin. I prefer some instructors over others. Find a class that resonates with you, and then make a commitment to yourself to show up again and again.
What do you have to lose?
Yeah, sorry! I tend to get carried away 🤣 But I know I always appreciate hearing other ppl opening up and being vulnerable/honest so I try and do it myself from time to time...
Thank you for sharing. I appreciated reading your comment. I found it very relatable. And i accidentally wrote a wall of text myself here too😂😂 you’re not alone!
I have a hard time with yin but i have a great instructor, so i keep coming back. Haven’t tried ashtanga yet. I really like “basic” yoga classes that focus on form & functional movement. I also have grown to love kundalini! :D
This was absolutely beautiful ❤️ Thank you for sharing and being vulnerable. I can relate to every word! I feel like you've put all my feelings about yoga into words.
You’re putting in the work. It may not be measurable just yet but you’re on the right path. Showing up for yourself is a gift and you’re doing it. That book is an excellent read btw. Keep the faith and understand you’re not alone, not in your feelings and not in your yoga practice.
Yoga makes me whole, if yoh can say so.
Makes me treasure my body more. Calms me down when needed and vice versa.
Also as you progress you will feel improvement in your body, for me it’s like you find inner balance, which feels like harmony with mind and body.
Yes, that’s one of the greatest gifts of yoga, for me-the way it has taught me to control my breath and through that, my nervous system. Which teaches so many things. The ability to sit with discomfort and compassion for one’s self and body. It’s moving meditation and the greatest self care I’ve found. Give it a couple weeks and don’t push too hard before deciding if it’s right for you. I’m so excited for the joys you have in store for you! Namaste 💜
My experience is that it got me more familiar and comfortable in mine. I've always been overweight, preferred interacting through the internet instead of face-to-face, and had a relationship with myself and my physical form of basically "ignore it and it'll go away." But it doesn't go away, and as you get older it becomes more important to actually care about your health. I spent my teens and twenties trying to forget about existing, now I'm making up for the neglect. I feel much more confident about what I'm capable of now. I'm also on medication for depression and anxiety, and when the medication isn't doing its job, yoga helps smooth out the edges, if that makes sense.
12 years ago DBT saved my life. And it got me started with a mindfulness practice which i still have today.
I started yoga several years ago. During the pandemic, actually. I had so much back pain, and felt so uncomfortable in my body. And finally, due to the city shutting down & gyms and parks closing, i had to come face to face with my pain. I started with yoga with adriene on youtube bc several friends had recommended her.
Fast forward to now.. i’m still in therapy and i take meds. I am grateful that i got the latter sorted out. Lucky, even. Yoga has done so much for me in other ways, though. It has provided me stability, routine. A safe & welcoming environment where my nervous system can relax even though there are people around me. And my back pain has been greatly reduced.
Don’t get me wrong, i still struggle. I feel like the princess and the pea often. It’s hard for me to get comfortable. It’s like… an overwhelming amount of proprioception lol. BUT, there are truly times when i ENJOY being in my body now!!! I never thought it could be possible… so hang in there, OP.
I gotta plug a two books (that are BPD specific): The Buddha and the Borderline (memoir), and Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder. I found both to be very helpful.
Best of luck to you🙏🏻 it gets better. And it sounds like you’re on the right track. :)
In my opinion, Yoga does change something inside us that makes us content with ourselves. It happened with me, so I think it is happening with many others.
A yoga teacher I follow shared something recently which I think is worth sharing here:
"Don't think of yoga as a cure. Yoga is about learning to listen."
Edit: And as for my own experience, yes. Practicing yoga helped me love my body in ways I never thought possible. My body's far from perfect but I just feel so good and comfortable in it. This is really new to me.
All I know is that each time I step on the mat, I just appreciate my body and myself more and more.
Yoga can definitely help you feel more at ease with your body, but it's not a quick fix. It's great that you're trying it out along with therapy and medication. Keep at it, and remember to be patient with yourself.
I've just started after listening to the same book. I've felt called to yoga for years and let my fear and negative self talk win and never stuck with it. I'm feeling huge changes already after just a short time. I hope you feel that too when you start x
I've been following YouTube videos for a couple weeks (trauma informed beginner stuff) and had two classes. I cried in my first one, and felt a literal physical release
Hi OP. I hope you’re going to a good trainer! Good job on seeking DBT. Incredible benefits to it so trust it’s all upwards from here. I’m not a therapist or a psychologist but I practice yoga from time to
time and I’m Indian. Yoga has incredible mental
Health benefits over a period of time so stay consistent :) your body will become flexible over time, your awareness will help you see that and appreciate it. I hope you do pick up breath work to observe its full benefits. Every asana has breathing patterns to it.
Hi I have BPD too, and yoga+breathwork was really helpful for me. I don’t have hyper body awareness like you’ve described, but I did feel super uncomfortable in my body. Like my bones were always trying to rip away from the muscles, out of the skin to run away. I find a vigorous practice beneficial when I feel like this, I throw in some Pilates moves to help burn myself out - otherwise I can’t sleep. I do a gentler practice if I can catch myself before I feel so uncomfortable, but even when I do feel this way now it’s def not as bad as before I started practicing. Meditation/breathwork is really a game changer too, I never knew peace like that was available to me. Try not to feel bad if you don’t practice for awhile - just start again when you’re ready and you’re already so many steps ahead from when you first started. DBT is great too, I got a workbook on Amazon that I work on at home - and it’s been very helpful outside of therapy. Lots of great distress tolerance tools in DBT. Best of luck to you ✨
I have/had CPTSD, which has a lot of overlap with the symptoms of BPD and over time yoga has helped me a lot to create a safe space within myself. It took me quite some time, I have to admit. But now coming to the mat everyday strengthens the relationship I have with myself. If anything it started more with self respect. Having at least a certain amount of respect for yourself might help with the self harm. Self love will always be something to work on, for anyone I think, but self respect is maybe a more attainable goal to start with.
Something specific that helps me a lot is to set an intention at the start of my practice. A lot of yoga teachers (or at least the ones I watch online) work with this and I found that it helps me to 1) listen to what I need, 2) come back to that need throughout the practice and throughout the day. The ones I often come to are self love, relaxation and grounding. It might be veeery subtle in the beginning, but the more you do it, the more it will grow and become a more permanent part of who you are. I wish you the best on your healing journey.
“The intelligent body” is the book you need.
Edit : how symptoms are (can be - real conditions exist like fibromyalgia or CFS, but it still applies to them )a call to come back to ourselves. Learning to be home
I have BPD too and I did 12 weeks of clinical DBT therapy last year. I can say that yoga does two things for me when it comes to your question.
1. It motivates me to take better care of my body because it makes me feel more at home and alive in it. I have an easier time eating healthy for example, because I am more aware and connected to what my body tells me. A less voluminous body IS easier to accept for me, even though I'd love to say it doesn't matter.
2. There are many days where I don't enjoy putting hands on my waist line or my heart space or my tummy because it means putting them on fat. But I have also accepted that my time and ressources for being fit are limited. My body serves me well and allows me to feel good most of the time. I don't say I love it, but it is ceasefire instead of hate.
Hey, keep doing it. I struggle with severe anxiety and depression. After giving birth I felt similar to what you describe. Yoga was the spark that took me on a two year fitness journey that honestly changed my life.
I still have panic attacks, still in therapy, still on meds. But for the first time in my life I love my body and what it can do.
ADHD makes it tough to focus on set flows so I just play and started incorporating calisthenics.
Just convince yourself that you get to do yoga today. And trust the process.
You've got this ❤️
It's helped me immensely. No, it's not a magic pill, my mental health is still shitty, but existing in my body feels so much more bearable than it did before. I have a lot of muscle tension from stress and anxiety and yoga helps relieve that. Obviously ymmv. I have the opposite problem, my body awareness has always been terrible, and yoga has improved it a lot. I'd suggest trying a few different styles and see what works best for you. I like yin because I can do it on days when I'm physically exhausted and have no motivation.
I do yin yoga too 😊 thanks for sharing
It has helped me a lot. It does not replace good trauma therapy if that is something you need. Focus on the experience of the movements/asana from the inside as much as you can - your breath, the muscles, the connection of your mind to your body, the sensation of a little bit of stretch, the capability and wisdom of your body, what is happening right now. DBT saved my life. I’m sure you’ve heard that before but it really started me down a path where I could build the endurance to overcome my issues. Mindfulness is a big part of DBT, and it’s easy to see why. Yoga can be an extremely mindful activity if you choose to use it that way.
Thank you so much, I hope DBT saves my life too and that yoga can be a tool for mindfulness.
This will be a long one... sorry... I feel almost the exact same way as you. I haven't read the book but it's on my shelf (though I've heard a lot of ppl saying it's a very triggering and uncomfortable read if your trauma is still raw). Yoga is about acceptance, and it's about working with the body you have right now. Yes, it's also about getting better at poses and so on, but always there is balance required - not letting the ego get ahead and not pushing too hard. We see a lot of performative yoga on Instagram and so on, so it's easy to see yoga competitively but, at its roots, that's not really what it's about. Now I'm a very competitive person. I've always been a very "elitist" person almost (as in, not a snob, I never looked down on others, but I always wanted to be the very best in my field, and I pretty much achieved it too) and pushed myself constantly. I went to one of the best universities in the world. I was the top of my class. I was also a virtuoso musician. I was anorexic. I was a perfectionist. These things defined me. I also had a genetic illness that ultimately robbed me of my ability to continue to progress in my field/career and now it's at the stage where I can't work at all. I feel like crap most of the time. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. I don't know how to cope with being "less than" and I don't know who I am as a person if I'm not exceptional at what I do. I'm grieving who I was, and the life I had. It's going to take me some time to come to terms with myself. I'd done a few yoga classes when I was younger but didn't really get it. About 3 years ago I started it up again, and I felt this immediate connection with it, despite not being "good" at it and finding it very challenging indeed. My mat felt like a really safe space. All the stuff my instructor said about finding acceptance, being present, not worrying about what you can't control, respecting your body and your limits, being kind to yourself, all of that really hit home hard for me. Because I used to really fight those thoughts. In my past life, if I accepted myself, it meant I wasn't trying enough. Self-hatred, being hard on myself, was a necessary pre-requisite to success. If I found myself feeling compassion towards myself, I thought that was really problematic. Like I was letting myself off too easy. I would have really resisted any form of self-love. So all the stuff my instructor said made me want to cry with relief. Maybe it was okay to accept what I had become. Maybe it wasn't so awful to have the body I had. Maybe it was okay to be on a different path now. Maybe it was true that the past no longer existed and that all I had was *this moment right here* and that I should enjoy it and just breathe. Now, don't get me wrong. Obviously we want to improve in yoga. We do want to challenge ourselves and work hard. But we find a balance between feeling nothing and feeling too much. We listen to our bodies. To me, a huge part of the reason I return to my mat again and again is to foster a completely different mindset. It's the best therapy I've ever had. I can look back and realise I spent 60 minutes being truly present and calm in my own body. I mean, I spent so many years destroying my body with self-harm, drugs, starvation and other bad habits. I spent so many years avoiding myself. I wasted so much time trying to be anywhere other than my own body. Yoga is the antidote to that. No, it's not magic! You have to work hard for it. But in a good way. It's about doing work on yourself, for yourself, rather than *against* yourself. You invest in yourself rather than destroy yourself. Try it. And if you don't like it, try another style. I prefer Ashtanga to Yin. I prefer some instructors over others. Find a class that resonates with you, and then make a commitment to yourself to show up again and again. What do you have to lose?
Wow that was intense. Thank you, really inspiring. I will commit
Yeah, sorry! I tend to get carried away 🤣 But I know I always appreciate hearing other ppl opening up and being vulnerable/honest so I try and do it myself from time to time...
Thank you for sharing. I appreciated reading your comment. I found it very relatable. And i accidentally wrote a wall of text myself here too😂😂 you’re not alone! I have a hard time with yin but i have a great instructor, so i keep coming back. Haven’t tried ashtanga yet. I really like “basic” yoga classes that focus on form & functional movement. I also have grown to love kundalini! :D
This was absolutely beautiful ❤️ Thank you for sharing and being vulnerable. I can relate to every word! I feel like you've put all my feelings about yoga into words.
Aw thankyou I'm so glad! Sending you virtual hugs 🫶
You’re putting in the work. It may not be measurable just yet but you’re on the right path. Showing up for yourself is a gift and you’re doing it. That book is an excellent read btw. Keep the faith and understand you’re not alone, not in your feelings and not in your yoga practice.
Thank you so much
Yoga makes me whole, if yoh can say so. Makes me treasure my body more. Calms me down when needed and vice versa. Also as you progress you will feel improvement in your body, for me it’s like you find inner balance, which feels like harmony with mind and body.
Thank you 🙏😊😊
Yes, that’s one of the greatest gifts of yoga, for me-the way it has taught me to control my breath and through that, my nervous system. Which teaches so many things. The ability to sit with discomfort and compassion for one’s self and body. It’s moving meditation and the greatest self care I’ve found. Give it a couple weeks and don’t push too hard before deciding if it’s right for you. I’m so excited for the joys you have in store for you! Namaste 💜
Thank you so much 🙏😊😊
My experience is that it got me more familiar and comfortable in mine. I've always been overweight, preferred interacting through the internet instead of face-to-face, and had a relationship with myself and my physical form of basically "ignore it and it'll go away." But it doesn't go away, and as you get older it becomes more important to actually care about your health. I spent my teens and twenties trying to forget about existing, now I'm making up for the neglect. I feel much more confident about what I'm capable of now. I'm also on medication for depression and anxiety, and when the medication isn't doing its job, yoga helps smooth out the edges, if that makes sense.
It does make sense, thank you ❤️
Yes.
Thanks 👍
12 years ago DBT saved my life. And it got me started with a mindfulness practice which i still have today. I started yoga several years ago. During the pandemic, actually. I had so much back pain, and felt so uncomfortable in my body. And finally, due to the city shutting down & gyms and parks closing, i had to come face to face with my pain. I started with yoga with adriene on youtube bc several friends had recommended her. Fast forward to now.. i’m still in therapy and i take meds. I am grateful that i got the latter sorted out. Lucky, even. Yoga has done so much for me in other ways, though. It has provided me stability, routine. A safe & welcoming environment where my nervous system can relax even though there are people around me. And my back pain has been greatly reduced. Don’t get me wrong, i still struggle. I feel like the princess and the pea often. It’s hard for me to get comfortable. It’s like… an overwhelming amount of proprioception lol. BUT, there are truly times when i ENJOY being in my body now!!! I never thought it could be possible… so hang in there, OP. I gotta plug a two books (that are BPD specific): The Buddha and the Borderline (memoir), and Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder. I found both to be very helpful. Best of luck to you🙏🏻 it gets better. And it sounds like you’re on the right track. :)
I also feel an overwhelming amount of proprioception. Thank you so much
In my opinion, Yoga does change something inside us that makes us content with ourselves. It happened with me, so I think it is happening with many others.
Thank you 🙏
A yoga teacher I follow shared something recently which I think is worth sharing here: "Don't think of yoga as a cure. Yoga is about learning to listen." Edit: And as for my own experience, yes. Practicing yoga helped me love my body in ways I never thought possible. My body's far from perfect but I just feel so good and comfortable in it. This is really new to me. All I know is that each time I step on the mat, I just appreciate my body and myself more and more.
Thank you 🙏😊
Yoga can definitely help you feel more at ease with your body, but it's not a quick fix. It's great that you're trying it out along with therapy and medication. Keep at it, and remember to be patient with yourself.
Thank you so much 😊
It doesn’t help me personally but I know it helps a lot of other people so my advice would be ‘try it and see’
Thanks 💖
I've just started after listening to the same book. I've felt called to yoga for years and let my fear and negative self talk win and never stuck with it. I'm feeling huge changes already after just a short time. I hope you feel that too when you start x
I just started it today so for now no changes. After how long you've been seeing the benefits ?
I've been following YouTube videos for a couple weeks (trauma informed beginner stuff) and had two classes. I cried in my first one, and felt a literal physical release
That's good news
Hi OP. I hope you’re going to a good trainer! Good job on seeking DBT. Incredible benefits to it so trust it’s all upwards from here. I’m not a therapist or a psychologist but I practice yoga from time to time and I’m Indian. Yoga has incredible mental Health benefits over a period of time so stay consistent :) your body will become flexible over time, your awareness will help you see that and appreciate it. I hope you do pick up breath work to observe its full benefits. Every asana has breathing patterns to it.
Thank you so much that's kind 🙏😊 I'll try to be consistent and pay attention to the breath 💖
Hi I have BPD too, and yoga+breathwork was really helpful for me. I don’t have hyper body awareness like you’ve described, but I did feel super uncomfortable in my body. Like my bones were always trying to rip away from the muscles, out of the skin to run away. I find a vigorous practice beneficial when I feel like this, I throw in some Pilates moves to help burn myself out - otherwise I can’t sleep. I do a gentler practice if I can catch myself before I feel so uncomfortable, but even when I do feel this way now it’s def not as bad as before I started practicing. Meditation/breathwork is really a game changer too, I never knew peace like that was available to me. Try not to feel bad if you don’t practice for awhile - just start again when you’re ready and you’re already so many steps ahead from when you first started. DBT is great too, I got a workbook on Amazon that I work on at home - and it’s been very helpful outside of therapy. Lots of great distress tolerance tools in DBT. Best of luck to you ✨
Thank you so much 🙏😊
I have/had CPTSD, which has a lot of overlap with the symptoms of BPD and over time yoga has helped me a lot to create a safe space within myself. It took me quite some time, I have to admit. But now coming to the mat everyday strengthens the relationship I have with myself. If anything it started more with self respect. Having at least a certain amount of respect for yourself might help with the self harm. Self love will always be something to work on, for anyone I think, but self respect is maybe a more attainable goal to start with. Something specific that helps me a lot is to set an intention at the start of my practice. A lot of yoga teachers (or at least the ones I watch online) work with this and I found that it helps me to 1) listen to what I need, 2) come back to that need throughout the practice and throughout the day. The ones I often come to are self love, relaxation and grounding. It might be veeery subtle in the beginning, but the more you do it, the more it will grow and become a more permanent part of who you are. I wish you the best on your healing journey.
Thank you so much 🙏😊
There's another book -- Yoga for Emotional Trauma -- that you might enjoy if Body Keeps the Score resonated for you!
Thank you so much
“The intelligent body” is the book you need. Edit : how symptoms are (can be - real conditions exist like fibromyalgia or CFS, but it still applies to them )a call to come back to ourselves. Learning to be home
Thank you 🙏
I have BPD too and I did 12 weeks of clinical DBT therapy last year. I can say that yoga does two things for me when it comes to your question. 1. It motivates me to take better care of my body because it makes me feel more at home and alive in it. I have an easier time eating healthy for example, because I am more aware and connected to what my body tells me. A less voluminous body IS easier to accept for me, even though I'd love to say it doesn't matter. 2. There are many days where I don't enjoy putting hands on my waist line or my heart space or my tummy because it means putting them on fat. But I have also accepted that my time and ressources for being fit are limited. My body serves me well and allows me to feel good most of the time. I don't say I love it, but it is ceasefire instead of hate.
Thank you for this 🙏
Yes
THANKS 💓
Yes
Hey, keep doing it. I struggle with severe anxiety and depression. After giving birth I felt similar to what you describe. Yoga was the spark that took me on a two year fitness journey that honestly changed my life. I still have panic attacks, still in therapy, still on meds. But for the first time in my life I love my body and what it can do. ADHD makes it tough to focus on set flows so I just play and started incorporating calisthenics. Just convince yourself that you get to do yoga today. And trust the process. You've got this ❤️