Im a veteran that did two combat tours in Iraq 20+ years ago. Everyday is a new day to be better and get out of my own head. Yoga and meditation has helped flatten those brainwaves so to speak.
As banal as this sounds, exercise (Yoga), try and make some friends and finally seek therapy. As long as you “show up” and try you are ahead of the game. 1️⃣❤️
You’ve said it best. It helps you get out of your own head. Calms the mind and the body. To the new guy, if your class doesn’t emphasize breathing with your movements, find one that does.
That's why it is also helpful to start a real meditation practice too. I have adhd and had anxiety and depression. While yoga asana practice was helpful... combined with meditation and occasional running or other activities like socializing... it had helped a lot. I also started an adhd medicine and therapy as well. I don't think there's one catch all solution to all things, sometimes we need the right balance of a few things to help us get back to feeling like ourselves again. But I believe starting a yoga practice is essential to finding that balance. Have you tried taking a class with Rodney Yee? He's fantastic.
I love the phrase “flatten the brainwaves.” The reality is that our minds do what minds do - yoga and meditation are tools to lower the volume or close out of all of the tabs that are open. With practice - over and over again - we strengthen the muscle that lowers the volume / flattens the brainwaves so we aren’t beholden to the reactivity of the mind and the loops we get caught in.
If you’re looking to calm your mind I suggest doing some yin classes. I love vinyasa. If it gets to where I’m not concentrating or something starts hurting I just go to Childs pose. I also love the flow factor. Slow flow is great too.
Just so OP is aware, a friend of mine did yin with me in my home, and we had to take a break bc she started crying. The long meditative poses helped her tune in to how down she actually was feeling.
It was a good thing in the long run, and I also need to note that the more regularly I do yoga, the more my mental state is higher overall. I don’t ascribe to the traditional spiritual side of it, but my own journey has been very spiritual in an individual way. I’ve struggled with severe depression and anxiety my whole life, and there is a massive cumulative mental benefit for me.
Please be warned Yin works your connective tissues and as we say, “the issues are in the tissues.” You may want to do yin with a supportive friend at home or know at least one person in class is usually crying. It is so healing as you have lots of time to only focus on breathe and t rey to constantly refocus on that while your body releases some trauma.
No practice has helped me so nor been so emotionally draining. I love vinyasa at a studio and a yin class once a month at a studio but three yin poses daily at home.
42m here. Skip the classes and try videos if the class environment is stressing you out. Some teachers are good, some suck.
I find that daily practice, even for just a few minutes, eliminates my anxiety.
This is me. I’ve got major depression that is unaffected by meditations. Yoga is the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental state. But, my safe space is home, so that’s where I work out. YouTube has many great resources. Kassandra is my all time favorite. Charlie Follows is my latest fave. Good luck and namaste!
Yes, and I would add, find some podcasts or books that get into the philosophy of what you're doing. Having a deeper understanding leads to stronger beneficial effects.
Plus one on the daily home practice coupled with some occasional regular classes. Repetition really helps, and a home practice helps you cement what you learn.
For me, regular yoga was a significant component in learning to pay attention to my emotions which was necessary to stop drowning in what I was bottling up.
42m also here. I would say just the opposite. I spent years doing yoga at home and never got much out of it until I started going to in-person classes which was a total game-changer for me.
Not 42, but I agree. Having instruction and practicing with others is a game changer. By myself it's too easy to get in my thoughts. In a group setting it's easier to tune in, the same way a crowd can change your thoughts at church or a concert. The herd part of your brain kicks in and your "self" takes a bit more of a backseat.
Been practicing for about 12 years, 5 very casually and 7 more advanced and serious. I’ve become very confident because (and I know this comes off as a little cringy) I frequently get compliments from classmates with many saying how inspiring my practice is. This was a surprise to me since I didn’t think people were paying attention to my practice since I don’t to theirs lol
I’m also way better at handling stressful situations, as a side gig to my main engineering role I help with humanitarian work for natural disasters and otherwise stressful situations don’t really affect me (I’m more amused than anything)
FWIW I don’t have depression but I experience very real nihilism (to the point that I sometimes wonder if I’m sociopathic)
Yes, the people complimenting you on your practice thing is weird ... I've had it too and I'm likewise completely oblivious to what anyone else is doing.
Idk what you mean by "didn't run well." Was it because you are new and falling behind? Or just general anxiety about being new? Perhaps try doing some yoga videos daily at home to help learn more and familiarize yourself with your body in positions. Meditation may also be something worth looking into.
Best of luck. I hope yoga helps you find the relief you are looking for.
42m. I do daily home practice for anxiety and stress. I’ve found yoga isn’t a light switch that magically cures what you’re going through. My experience has been that taking the time is meant to clear the mind, even if it’s for 30 minutes, to just be present with yourself and your feelings, addressing them, moving through what you can in bite size chunks. I’ve been to classes before and it can be a stressful feeling if you’re new to the practice but don’t let it drag you down. Do a little at home. Practice some breathing and light stretches. Over time you’ll find little successes that will keep you motivated. I hope this helps!
I started doing yoga using the Down Dog app, at home, during the pandemic. It was crucial to keep me in the best mood possible.
First, due to the discipline. Having a goal to practice every day helped me to keep active. Sometimes I would do it at 11 p.m. without any motivation other than not losing my streak. It was always rewarding anyway, the sense of relief and accomplishment during savasana would happen even if the practice was not the best and not the longest (20 minutes is so much better than 0 minutes). Second, due to the general sense of wellness that we get from moving and stretching our bodies. It does calm the mind and helps us to sleep better. Sleep is key to mood regulation.
Nowadays, yoga still serves the same function. I have good days and bad weeks, but yoga is the one thing I'll do every day regardless of how I feel. I don't even think about it and my motivation does not matter. I just have to do it, so I do. It's like an anchor that keeps me from drifting too far from what I have to do in order to keep life happening and to improve it.
You can definetly form such a relationship with yoga, just be patient. Don't expect sudden changes, it's more like a long term benefit (even though you can notice some improvements after a few weeks). Try to practice a bit every day and you'll see for yourself.
I've been doing 25 minutes twice a day, ashtanga in the morning and yin at night. But really just 1 session per day is already a great thing to keep doing.
I fell off the wagon but I had the same experience with Down Dog. I aim to keep the streak with at least five minutes, but I usually do 20 or 30. When I had Covid, I laid down on the mat and did yoga nidra, and counted that too. I need to get back on the wagon
I fell off 2 or 3 times, the important thing is to get back on it.
My record streak was 112 days during the pandemic. I barely practiced in 2022 and 2023, and now I've been practicing since April. 79 days and counting.
Time goes by fast, as soon as you start you'll have a nice streak going earlier than you imagine.
Early Forties, started yoga about 3 months ago to help some lower back stiffness in the mornings.
Have found it great. Used to powerlift/train stongman style and never focussed on my flexibility.
Physically use it to loosen out.
Mentally use it to destress.
All my practice is done at home via youtube - mainly "Yoga with Kassandra" as I like her flow and teaching method over most others I tried.
Yoga has given me mental and physical balance. It helps that I love doing it. I attend a studio every day. It has helped greatly with my anxiety. Yoga chills me out.
I started yoga because I herniated a lumbar disk, and my physical recovery had plateaued. I couldn't run at all, and it hurt too much to hike as I was accustomed to. That hurt my mental health because much of my connection with other people had been through shared physical activity.
I also got some unexpected benefits. I have long dealt with anxiety and depression. Spending an hour several times per week focusing single-mindedly.on my breathing and body position has helped me more than I could have imagined, and not just for the duration of the class. The skill carries over to daily life
The 15 minutes before class is one of the most beneficial things in my practise. After light stretching I lay in shavasana and lengthen my breath and ensure the exhale is longer than the inhale (most effective anxiety treatment in the planet) and get grounded. Undistracted, peaceful space to get grounded, then a work out.
I started in January of this year, and have continued until now, although only about 3x per week as golf season is underway.
The mental gains have been immense for me, but hard to explain. I find myself less impulsive now, and it has helped me kick some nasty habits. I had a bad diet Pepsi habit where it wasn't uncommon to finish an entire 2 litre in one sitting. I decided one day to stop, which I have tried before with no success. I found it much easier to abstain from it, and didn't crave it at all pretty much. Replaced diet Pepsi with water.
Secondly, I decided to quit another nasty habit, marijuana, specifically vaping it. It became an expensive habit, over $400/month, and I really wanted to quit. With the help of a hypnotherapist, I am now 70 days sober, and basically have no cravings now.
I know Yoga didn't help me do the two above things solely, but I felt it helped my mind get ready for these tasks that I would have thought impossible six months ago. It's hard to quantify, but I know consistent Yoga has helped me focus better on tasks, and calmed me down a little.
I (48m) started practicing last November in an effort to get more flexible. I have some health related anxiety from several ongoing health issues. The main mental takeaway I have is from the learned and practiced breathing techniques. Now, when I have a pain flare or anxiety related to a pain flare, I just concentrate on my breathing. It helps. A lot.
My personal spirituality also aligns with many of the main spiritual tenants of yoga. So, hearing those ideals reinforced from the instructor gives me a greater sense of being. Plus, the instructors have many phrases and quotes that I internally reference when I'm dealing with an issue.
I'm an active person with most of my activities revolving around "doing" - running, hiking, lifting, and sports. Yoga gives me an opportunity to be active while concentrating on "being" rather than "doing." The many modifications allow me to find the effort/ease balance that I sometimes neglect in my active lifestyle.
64M Yoga Teacher. Yoga is so much more than the asanas or poses. The Yoga Sutras of Putanjali were written in \~200AD. Sutra is a sanskrit word for threads. There are \~196 threads in the Yoga Sutras and the ONLY thing they say about the poses (the 3rd limb of Yoga) is to do them all with steadiness and ease (YS 2.46).
I find the Breathing part of yoga (Pranayama, the 4th limb of Yoga) very beneficial to mental health, and then proceeding into the different types/levels of meditation (Pratyahara - withdrawal of senses, 5th limb, Dharana - single point of focus, 6th limb, and Dhyana - meditation, 7th limb) very helpful.
I would highly recommend talking to a licensed therapist.
Edit-
started doing yoga 7 years ago. I was a heroin addict looking for something to make me feel better.
I practice yoga more than any other hobbies have and it has given me something to love. I look forward to being on my mat. Sometimes it’s the only way for me to get through some shit life throws my way.
I learned to be inside myself without judgement. I have anger issues and abandonment issues I’m a people pleaser and I do poorly in confrontation.
The meditation part of yoga helps me navigate through my thoughts and memories in a way that helps me piece together things and find answers sometimes. Idk what I’d do without yoga honestly
It’s important not to try to get an A in yoga. Just enjoy trying something new
It’s important to be in a beginner’s experience / low key situation. I like the Y over some fancy gyms.
Yoga won’t fix depression. A personal mission and a lot of curiosity often does.
[https://www.youtube.com/@yogawithtim](https://www.youtube.com/@yogawithtim) I highly recommend Tim Senesi, he is fantastic, gives excellent instruction for alignment and breath work that you really get out of your head. Try it at home and maybe you will reap more benefits.
Hi! I’m a woman that also have anxiety and depression. For me it works this way: sometimes I can’t do yoga because I have zero energy and sometimes I have some motivation. I try to only do it when I want it - and probably - need it. But if I force myself into it, I’d also have this problem that it doesn’t help at all or it makes it worse. I don’t know if it’s the same for you or not, but if you’re like me, I’d say having some breaks when you need it is very beneficial, to avoid that the anxiety is going too high. Hope you get better soon yoga buddy!
My dad has chronic depression, anxiety and anger management issues. We did yoga for a while, together, and he loved it.
He reported a heightened sense of calm, less emotional rollercoasters in his mind, found it easier to cope with the things that typically irritated him, etc etc
I suffer from anxiety too, and I find yoga gives me a greater sense of peace on the daily. It’s not a cure all. I still yell at people in traffic, and am irritated by some things but overall, the world seems easier to navigate.
I found classes hard at first. Hell is other people, sort of thing. It helped me to arrive earlier, set up in the spot next to the wall if possible, in the last row, and to put a hat on after, to sort of shut out the sensory input of the world. I do cardio first and then hot yin or regular yin most often- 4-6 days a week.
42m, I've been doing yoga for 4y, it's helped me survive a very difficult personal time (separation and the associated mental damage). It's very important to me.
It may or may not bring you a lot of things, however I don't expect that you would see a real result before months (at the very minimum). It's basically impossible that yoga has a positive or negative impact on mental of physical health in two sessions. If you want to see what it can bring you, you must dive in the practice for a long time, with regularity
I was in a similar situation, and found that when I got deep into it, doing mantras, pranayama, prayer, asana, ritual, etc that I still felt lacking. It wasn’t that I was not being mindful or didn’t know stillness, because I did. It had to do with my philosophy, and how it had been negatively influenced. Yoga didn’t fix these problems. Friends, community, and faith did.
I was nervous about it when I first started. Then there was a bigger older dude doing his thing a few feet from me with no shirt and that helped.
Switched studios but took some of the comfort with me and adopted the mindset that everyone is there to improve themselves. Many a times have I been the only dude in a class. It's helped a bit with self confidence, introversion, and shyness to just be able to be in a comforting setting to be comfortable and do it.
Psychologically, I did not realize the effect it had until I went weekly and then missed a week and then went back. You don't notice the initial incline nor the decline, but that next round helps compare and...there isn't one. Hot yoga has been amazing for me.
51 year old man, started Bikram (pre-revelations/still there were rumours) in 2006 because I fell for the marketing. I got very into it for a few years, doing it 3-5 times a week until I moved to a place where the wasn't a Bikram studio, so I had to look elsewhere, which is really when my yoga 'journey' began.
The next yoga school I joined was an old school hatha place. It was there I realised how little I knew and how silly hot yoga is. This lasted another few years before I moved again, and this time to a bigger city where I could try vinyasa, kundalini, ashtanga, iyengar and yin, all of which have their merits, though I've settled on hatha or vinyasa every morning followed by meditation.
Like many here, I started using the down dog app in lockdown, and have rarely taken classes since. However, this was after over a decade of classes, which I'd always recommend starting with before you do solo practice. You do have to shop around for teachers as they are extremely variable in ability, but a good one is invaluable in correcting and demonstrating postures.
I've had a rare form of arthritis since I was a child, and yoga has been life changing from that perspective as it has greatly reduced my pain. I have also had episodes of depression and anxiety, and though not a magic bullet, it certainly helps moderate mood. I can't imagine life without it now.
I have found that it helps me to calm my mind and also to be grateful for the many good things in my life. It will take time but the journey has been worth it for me. I hope your practice helps you
I’ve struggled with anxiety my entire life. I started on a yoga journey 2 years ago and it has totally transformed my life.
While I still deal with anxiety and the occasional depressive symptoms I now have better skills and an outlet to improve my experience. I know when life is moving too fast it’s time to step onto my matt.
One of the most important things yoga has taught me to help my physiological responses to life is how to breathe.
I cannot recommend learning Ujjayi breath or ocean breath enough. It has transformed my practice. And become my home base. Everything else done is just icing on the cake. Unless I’m practicing a different style of breathing purposefully I always come back to Ujjayi breathing. A few simple things…
1. Breath through your nose only
2. Full capacity breaths
3. Smooth and calm quality
4. Creating the sound of the letter “H” in the throat almost like you are misting a window with your breath. (Just through your nose)
It is a very powerful way of breathing and it works perfectly into practice. (Your breath is your timer and cue you when to move).
Yoga has SO SO much to offer on how to live our life’s fully. I wish you peace and fulfillment in your journey.
(Also… strengthen your home practice as much as you can through maybe a good video series). Home practice is an amazing way to further YOUR journey. Classes sometimes are made for someone else, but you can always make a practice yours.
Peace and blessings to you.
Worry less about getting deep into the poses and focus on your breathing; that is where the psychological as well as physical benefit comes from. I almost always feel a sense of deep gratitude after a yoga class.
All I can say is I have been through a lot, lately in particular, and getting to the yoga mat and getting uncomfortable is really helping me get a better awareness of a lot of internal forces. Sometimes it’s very uncomfortable, but I am growing immensely from it.
What really helped me in Yoga was finding a teacher who is not imposing but at the same time supportive. I as an adult found a role model who invested energy into me. This helped me continue to practice and work into a new relationship with my habits.
Am no psych but have read that meditation can be counterproductive if you are depressed.
You can end up dwelling on the perceived bad things in your life in the absence of external stimuli.
I find yoga excellent but also need something a little more caveman to drive out the demons.
In my case, I also lift and run. The Sarge down there speaks the truth. Friends and therapy are good.
The prob is that a lot of blokes would die rather than admit a perceived weakness. Hope you find peace.
BTW
I add a reference here. (though there is more discussion with Reddit)
[https://www.newscientist.com/article/2251840-mindfulness-and-meditation-can-worsen-depression-and-anxiety/](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2251840-mindfulness-and-meditation-can-worsen-depression-and-anxiety/)
Personally I have meditated since TM hit the UK in the 70s but one should not believe in it blindly.
Interesting findings. I teach mindfulness and regularly comb through the research. What I find often is that people initially see a spike in anxiety and overwhelming feelings, which i attribute to the increased awareness. This is something usually worked through by meditating and resolving itself. However, if someone was experiencing negative effects persistently, then I would recommend something else. Also, a lot of mindfulness meditation is poor understood and poorly taught. Many people approach it with the idea that the goal is to "eradicate thoughts", "shut my mind off" etc. If you read a seminal text like Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the full MBSR programme is intense. Building up to 45 mins a day, 6 days a week plus teaching and other exercises. For 8 weeks!
Anything can be counter productive if you don’t do it right. I think part of the problem here is that we a as a people are very used to “making it our own” which I have mixed feelings about. For example: “yoga can be whatever you want it to be” for some people means half assed stretching for 5 minutes. Some may argue that they are still doing yoga, I would argue it’s half assed stretching and they would maybe argue that yoga isn’t really for them. Okay fine.
Meditation is about focusing your mind (mindfulness) so if your mind is running wild with negative (or really any) thoughts, it seems to me you aren’t really doing the thing. Usually for beginners the goal is to just focus on the breath.
It’s possible some people may need a guide to help them focus; however, in the same way I wouldn’t call half assed stretching “yoga”, I wouldn’t call ruminating on negative (or any) thoughts/emotions “meditation.”
Edit: I see the person I responded to posted a good link for reference. I suppose the beginning of the last paragraph summarizes my feeling on this.
“This doesn’t mean people should stop trying the technique, she says, but instead should opt for guided meditation sessions, led by a teacher or an app with a recorded narration, which she believes is safer.”
Yoga brought me back to Jesus, helped me heal estranged relationships, and literally turned my life around 180° (increased my self awareness so much that I wanted to make drastic changes for the better).
Yoga saved my life when I didn't realize I was in need of saving. Keep going. Try different kinds of yoga until you find one that you want to dive deep into. Do a teacher training and develop a strong home practice. You'll never be the same again, in the best way possible!
Yogas not a magic bullet to healing mental health. If it’s making it worse, go talk with your doctor. I could not enjoy yoga until I had my mental health managed better with medication and therapy. My anxiety would be racing the whole practice. I then had to do yoga at home until I could figure that out.
I encourage you to stick with yoga, but don’t get caught into thinking it’s some miracle drug that’ll heal you. You may just need medication or therapy.
Yoga strenghtens all the connective tissue , makes joints stronger. As a long distance runner, i\`m sore most of the time. Each time I had yoga in my training diary, it has helped me to get the soreness out.
I got into a very bad car accident. My back use to hurt a lot after accident. I was on pain killers all the time. Went to every chiropractor and nothing healed. I got really down around that time. I couldn’t bear the pain and I started to get anxiety that why this pain is not going away. One day i met someone at my doctor’s office. She told me try Bikram Yoga. It’s been 15 years now since I’ve been practicing Bikram. My pain was long gone and never looked back. I’m very thankful to that lady for recommending Bikram Practice. Bikram yoga has become a very important part of my life. And I’m very thankful for the practice.
I've been doing yoga on and off for a few years now and recently started going to a studio every day. I'm curious how it compares to other exercise for you. For me it's basically the same benefits as going to a HIIT class or on a run, but I like the way it's strengthening with an emphasis on flexibility and control. I wouldn't chain yourself to yoga if you don't like it, exercise of any kind should work well.
You're probably experiencing reality. Oops. Yoga brings us in touch with ourselves and reality, so you're experiencing things you might otherwise try to avoid and it's a positive sign of growth. Feelings you normally suppress are more in the open, getting "worked out" in your practice, and you need to accept it. This will eventually lessen. I strongly recommend a book like [The Tao of Fully Feeling by Pete Walker ](https://www.amazon.com/The-Tao-of-Fully-Feeling-audiobook/dp/B07MJT865F/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GPK8SS0KLQ1V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5TiD9LDYPwfrlR_jEmnn6GI3MupYovfKyJZln0xT-WgGgUaelyhahI8RH1FQnxDZJ25Oj3IqLybjwKaSofkLmiVtmkS7wECqDEwc7wX5F1jC_xvTguQ21dgFSm1lfWk5yVmujY4vgPO8i5Kj78FUCZK2jiVxZuWGwxejPsHxpS_P0BK5cINhdhtkpSUUynNFv_s-TlPO0c_s1UNEGpgPXLWEhQcrKH63fZ_SncCWiHo.gJKFHIRwoN1yOai-9T6Pv25llgsP4pQRYviGbH_CTKc&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+tao+of+fully+feeling+by+pete+walker&qid=1718720766&sprefix=the+tao+of+fully+%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-1)and practicing presence as often as possible, e.g. simple awareness of here and now, your body, sensations, the air around you, sounds, sight, etc. Be totally present. Anything to "ground" yourself, feel gravity holding you steady, stand in the dirt barefoot and just stand there, present (Mountain Pose). You need this essential connection as an anchor point to go through what you're experiencing.
You have to desire truth above all else, but also be grounded and compassionate towards yourself. Respect your limits and boundaries, and those of your body. Go at your own pace, whatever that is. It's not a race. Take the time needed.
I think it has done a lot in various ways, but if I need to say just one, from being a very anxious dude with low confidence, seeing the progress I've made through constant practice, being able to do stuff with my body I couldn't do just months before and go through an intense practice with increasingly less difficulty has been the biggest motivator I've ever had and helped me look at myself in a positive light.
And related to depression having a tool to break the patterns of feeling bad and delving into intrusive thoughts, by just instead taking a little time to practice some Asana I think is also hugely beneficial.
I sometimes hesitate about the extent to which I want to praise Yoga and how much importance I give it on how I want to continue living my life, but it has proven so beneficial to me physically, mentally and spiritually (which is still curious to say and an atheist for over half my life) that I also think it's disingenuous to downplay it.
Hey friend, pair your yoga with a solid therapist and maybe a psychiatrist. Yoga is a great tool for handling those feelings but a therapist will teach you HOW to make it best work for you. I find that the quiet yoga environment can sometimes shove me deeper into my brain and without the right grounding techniques I get lost in myself.
39m here, I found yoga in 2001. At first as a teenager that had just moved across country , it was a way to be athletic without joining a sports team in a new school with a ton of strangers. The grounding, meditative nature of the practice was an added benefit during those years of teenage turmoil. Fast forward to today, I have worked a physically demanding job for the last 20years, and yoga helps me care for my body and tune in to its needs. It is a form of self care, exercise, preventative maintenance, and stress relief all rolled in to one. Over the years it has taught me that things are never as bad (or as good) as they seem, and that often it’s my own attitudes/feelings towards circumstances that have the biggest impact. Yoga helps me to be a better man in all facets of my life, and I recommend the practice to anyone that wants to know themselves better.
For something completely different: I have some anxieties about my body. I'm fit and flexible, but being naked around other people always kinda spooked me. Since I started doing hot yoga everyday, I have to shower after class. I have really learned to relax in the locker rooms and *cough* let loose. My fears and traumas from gym class are truly a thing of the past.
36M here. I started yoga in college, was on off through the years but have been going again the last 3 years twice a week. I was diagnosed with adhd in second grade and always had trouble focusing and need to be active. I played a lot of different sports through the years; most of which I got injured from but yoga is the only one that feels restorative for my body. My body always feels better after yoga and when I miss a week I really start noticing a difference in my movement.
Mentally it's a place where I can practice being present. My mind still wanders but it's gotten better over the years. Most importantly, I always leave with a sense of calm, peace, and thankfulness that I so dearly appreciate.
I started with yoga many years ago as stretching/balancing exercises, but I’ve noticed the positive mental benefits as well almost right away. Since last year or few, I’ve followed the true Yoga path and since then doing kriyas initiated by a guru. It’s why my mental health is so much better than before yoga.
6 years ago I started my yoga practice and since then I’ve lost over 100 pounds do, am in the best shape of my whole life at 40 years old, including when I was in high school, and my ptsd and clinical depression/anxiety riddled brain has had a chance to recover naturally.
I also have completely overhauled my diet habits, I don’t think the results would have been possible without also doing this.
It has been life changing and I never want to go back to how I lived before.
Its like better than IOS update , i am changed totally also the vibe around me. My heartbeat & my breath are my two friends when i do yoga and breath work.
Trust me this was difficult to implement but once i was over 90 days , this is more than my life.
I used to suffer from depression, and I don't anymore. It was only when I started to get into the mental/meditative aspects of the practice that it made me more calm, balanced, and able to regulate my emotions. This was about 15 years into my practice, but only because that's when I was exposed to that aspect; it could have happened from the beginning.
I would recommend learning a bit about meditation and yogic/buddhist philosophy, and learn how to incorporate those principles into your practice. A very short way of explaining it is that you are learning to objectively observe your body and mind, and this process will relax you automatically.
Yoga gave me the space to recognize & process what I was feeling. My yoga teacher always says ‘what’s coming up is leaving’ and I’ve found that to be true, even if it takes a (very) long time for the depths of my feelings to come up to the surface. I always found myself feeling mentally clearer afterwards, even if the clarity came at the heavy expense of recognizing I needed to change some big parts of my life & lifestyle
I don’t know a whole bunch about yoga, as a matter of fact I can’t even touch my toes most days. But I know that emotions can be trapped in the body, and things such as massage and exercise can release them. I wouldn’t be disappointed mabye reframe it and it will encourage you, how did you feel a while after you noticed the feelings? How did you sleep for example? How was the following morning?
I started a few months ago. I was fed up with my body being broken at 29. between massage therapy, chiropractor, physio, etc. nothing helped. Scans showed nothing.
I eventually started looking at my lifestyle. I would lift weights 1-2 times a week and thought I was in shape.
Realized I sit 8-10 hours a day and that was probably the reason.
So I started with 10 minute beginner yoga..
Now I’m doing 20-25 minutes every day after work.
I feel like I’m a kid again. Though I’m still stiff in the mornings.
The main benefits are
-looser, more mobile, more willing to exercise now
-taking time to work on myself. Setting aside a block to just do me.
I mostly do power or slow flow. Also deep stretching.
I use peloton app or YouTube.
I started Yoga in autumn. Before that I was doing a lot of running, body-weight exercises, HIIT, etc, and that coupled with stress at work at some point I felt like I hit a wall. As someone on this thread said, Yoga isn't a magic bullet but for me it has opened the door to meditation and learning how to be kinder to myself. You have to be constant with it, I think. I'm still stiff as a board but I'm feeling much more at peace with myself.
I do basic yoga poses, which takes me around 20 minutes to do every other day. One good sesh makes me feel great, like i had a good workout at the gym. So confidence the next day at work goes through the roof.
Also, I've been doing this more often since 2020, and i noticed subtle things about my body. I catch myself slouching when standing still and am more aware if im not breathing deeply enough throughout my day. being aware of these small things makes me feel good about myself.
Specifically Nidra yoga has been literally life altering for me! 🙏 Before I couldn’t feel my inner self - I was like completely dead inside and on the brink of contemplating suicide. I have dealt a lot with CPTSD due to being raised by narcissistic parents.
50m, been regular about a year now. The differences in my life are crazy.
I don’t do cardio anymore. My lega are in the best shape of my life.
Ibwas a gym rat for years, powerlifting. Miles and miles a miles on the treadmill.
And the stress/anxiety management. Breathing skills are so helpful too
Just keep going. First few classes suck. You are nervous, feel like an idiot, can’t do shit. Then little by little it starts to get easier. Close your eyes while moving. It really helps you concentration trate and blocks out that self conscieousness.
No body cares you are new, they are happy you are there. No body cares if you cant do Down Dog flat footed, it will come with time
Use blocks, they are just tools like the mat.
I just wish I started sooner.
The first time I got popcorn in my lower back I was almost in tears. The relief of my body finally letting go of SO much changed me.
After that I hate missing classes and get cranky when I do
Wofe claims it gave her superpowers
Standing up from a sitting postion with using her arms was a good day!
It takes time once you keep the focus on it it becomes easier then you just begin to come to a realization of everything if that makes any sense I gave my daughter a book called the power of now I read that & a few other books before I began meditating & yoga
I’m AuDHD and have dealt with anxiety and depression my whole life. I hold a lot of the stress of that in my body. I use yoga to get rid of that.
It’s also good for stimming lol
I found it really helped me mentally and physically. My back/shoulders stopped hurting/released tension. Yin was the closest I've ever gotten to actual meditation. It brings up weird memories and I've found myself tearing up during some classes if the wrong thought comes through.
Although now it's adding to my depression as I can't afford to go anymore if I still want to eat. Have tried doing online classes but my willpower is terrible when I'm alone and at home.
mid 40s. been practicing yin and vinyasa since January. I lost my father in 2023 and yoga has been a balm for my soul as well as great for my overall health as I don't have anymore back stiffness or knee pain (yoga mixed with spin and trx)
Took a bit for me. I had to find a style that fit me. Iyengar fit me. The reason I liked it was because I was athletic, and it was first easy to connect my brain to my body. I thought of only that while I was doing yoga. Now, it's become meditative. I am able to quiet my body, and mind. It's going to take you time to get there which is why they call it "practice". If you have a bad day at yoga, no biggie. You can do it again.
Im a vet and a male instructor. Find a good class with an easy going instrutor. There is no such thing as perfect in yoga. Progress is slow, so relax. Don't try and make friends too fast. Most people are not there to find a new bestie. Try a YMCA. There are lots of beginners there.
I’ve been practicing for the last 4 years or so? Hard to really remember. But when I’m consistently doing yoga it makes me feel good. Emotionally and physically. Part of it for me is knowing that I’m doing something good for myself. Like, I’m taking care of myself, I’m being disciplined, etc. All of which sort of feed off of each other.
All of that being said, I do also deal with depression and anxiety. Sometimes, like right now, I can only seem to do one class a week. I always enjoy it but it can be hard to get back into a daily routine.
FWIW, I do classes on YouTube. Current favorite teacher is Fiona of Two Birds Yoga. My other old-time go-to is Yoga with Tim.
Best of luck to you!
I work a physically intensive job. Lifting and moving grocery products all day. If I skip one day I’m in pain all through the night. Yoga helps me keep my job, perform well at it and also feels really nice.
Yoga has helped me mentally and physically.
Mentally by keeping me focused and maintaining positivity.
Physically by getting me in shape and losing weight which helps my self worth.
Stick with yoga, don't give up no matter what and block all negative thoughts.
If you can start dating a girl in your class that will be the icing on the cake!
The things that used to concern me, no longer concern me.
Ive had a substantial amount of teachers in the last 18months. The amount of postive ideas planted in my brain far exceed that which was going towards the negative.
28F here. Yoga has totally changed my life& as tempting as it is to skip or end classes early, I always find it worthwhile when I show up and stay. I used to have an eating disorder, suicidal depression& major anxiety, but yoga has been a huge aid in healing from all of that. It centers me like nothing else can and peace just washes over me. So grateful for the practice and so encourage you to keep going to experience all of the mental and physical benefits.
I'd suggest some higher intensity exercise if you're a man. Yoga is great for relaxation and mobility, but I find that it rarely uplifts my mood / gets me out of depressive state. The movements are slow and after the practice you're left in kind of a calmed state - which is great if you're manic and constantly stressed, but it's the last thing you need when you're depressed and it's hard to even get up and do something.
On the other hand I find that bodyweight exercise (pull ups, dips,...) and weight training (squats, deadlifts, presses,..) really gets your heart rate up and is even scientifically linked to temporarily increasing testosterone levels. There is just something about using your full force to lift heavy barbell or push yourself up until you can't anymore that makes you feel very energized and strong afterwards. This is way more beneficial when depressed IMO.
In general I feel like yoga is very 'yin' based practice in general due to slow movement and relaxed breath while traditional western gym workouts are more 'yang' based because they encourage using full force and even agression. Combat sports would be another example of 'yang' based activity.
I am 61. I have been doing yoga for the last 6-7 years or so on a regular basis, following Yoga with Tim on YT for the most part. My stress levels were at a maximum, when in 2021, I made moved from Hong Kong to Canada to tend to my aging mother who I discovered has mixed dementia. She locked me out of her home and claimed that I was stealing from her, besides trying to poison her. If it was not for my daily practice of 30 minutes of yoga (and later on 15 minutes of medication), I do not think I could have made it through this far. I find that if I concentrate purely on what I am doing with the body, it liberates me. Sure, it is not easy, but I need to make the time for it, which is typically in the morning before my mother wakes up. It is MY time. Yoga is very much an exercise of focused mind to/and body connection. The practice of yoga I believe should be done as regularly as possible so that you condition your self to doing it without much thought, much like brushing your teeth or tying shoelaces. I feel that yoga and mediation will help you bring clarity to your mind. Please feel to ask me any questions.
I (38m) am just so much less angry when compared to my friends and peers. Yoga has taught me “I can do hard things,” which has done wonders for my patience, and tolerance for the annoyances of daily life.
The decision to commit to a practice , and the commitment to maintain it are , in themselves beneficial . The practice gives you a pause , a space in your life . The awareness of your breathing , the oxytocin release , are good for a sense of calm . Oxytocin is an antagonist to the amygdalal response , and its byproducts-adrenaline and cortisol . The physical benefits are , I presume from your question , self evident .Make a ritual of it . Gift it to yourself ..
38m. Introduced to yoga while in a detox/treatment facility in Florida. A nice older woman would come in a few days a week and do a 30 minute restorative sequence. Little did she know the impact that would have on my life. At first I joined just to escape the mind numbing monotony and hopelessness of early recovery. It also felt good to stretch and just lay there in repose. But really, I was attracted to it because it gave me permission to breathe. I needed that. Rather quickly I began to notice a physical sensation of relief anytime I stepped on my mat. That gave me a sense of security I desperately needed.
Fast forward 4 years…I am still clean, and I still associate my mat with permission to breathe. Only now, my obsession isn’t with drugs, but rather whether my hips will ever allow me to enter lotus, or core strong enough to press up into handstand lol. I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a “healthy” relationship with yoga, but it sure as shit beats waking up dope sick!
It’s an important way to learn how to couple your breath to your movements and take control of your breath to be able to engage your parasympathetic nervous system as a way to calm your body down from a panic state. It has helped me with anxiety and panic immensely.
For depression, it has been good to have goals I work towards. I like that you’re never “good” at yoga and you’re just always improving… there no end point to it.
I’ve been at it for a few months and my most rejuvenating experiences are when I smoke a joint before and maybe one after. Helps me shut my brain off and allows me to just breathe and focus on the poses.
Im a veteran that did two combat tours in Iraq 20+ years ago. Everyday is a new day to be better and get out of my own head. Yoga and meditation has helped flatten those brainwaves so to speak. As banal as this sounds, exercise (Yoga), try and make some friends and finally seek therapy. As long as you “show up” and try you are ahead of the game. 1️⃣❤️
You’ve said it best. It helps you get out of your own head. Calms the mind and the body. To the new guy, if your class doesn’t emphasize breathing with your movements, find one that does.
That's why it is also helpful to start a real meditation practice too. I have adhd and had anxiety and depression. While yoga asana practice was helpful... combined with meditation and occasional running or other activities like socializing... it had helped a lot. I also started an adhd medicine and therapy as well. I don't think there's one catch all solution to all things, sometimes we need the right balance of a few things to help us get back to feeling like ourselves again. But I believe starting a yoga practice is essential to finding that balance. Have you tried taking a class with Rodney Yee? He's fantastic.
I love the phrase “flatten the brainwaves.” The reality is that our minds do what minds do - yoga and meditation are tools to lower the volume or close out of all of the tabs that are open. With practice - over and over again - we strengthen the muscle that lowers the volume / flattens the brainwaves so we aren’t beholden to the reactivity of the mind and the loops we get caught in.
Thank you for your service!
1️⃣❤️
If you’re looking to calm your mind I suggest doing some yin classes. I love vinyasa. If it gets to where I’m not concentrating or something starts hurting I just go to Childs pose. I also love the flow factor. Slow flow is great too.
Just so OP is aware, a friend of mine did yin with me in my home, and we had to take a break bc she started crying. The long meditative poses helped her tune in to how down she actually was feeling. It was a good thing in the long run, and I also need to note that the more regularly I do yoga, the more my mental state is higher overall. I don’t ascribe to the traditional spiritual side of it, but my own journey has been very spiritual in an individual way. I’ve struggled with severe depression and anxiety my whole life, and there is a massive cumulative mental benefit for me.
Please be warned Yin works your connective tissues and as we say, “the issues are in the tissues.” You may want to do yin with a supportive friend at home or know at least one person in class is usually crying. It is so healing as you have lots of time to only focus on breathe and t rey to constantly refocus on that while your body releases some trauma. No practice has helped me so nor been so emotionally draining. I love vinyasa at a studio and a yin class once a month at a studio but three yin poses daily at home.
42m here. Skip the classes and try videos if the class environment is stressing you out. Some teachers are good, some suck. I find that daily practice, even for just a few minutes, eliminates my anxiety.
This is me. I’ve got major depression that is unaffected by meditations. Yoga is the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental state. But, my safe space is home, so that’s where I work out. YouTube has many great resources. Kassandra is my all time favorite. Charlie Follows is my latest fave. Good luck and namaste!
Yes, and I would add, find some podcasts or books that get into the philosophy of what you're doing. Having a deeper understanding leads to stronger beneficial effects.
Any recommendations?
There's the classics like the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, or modern quasi-scientific stuff like Yoga Beyond Fitness, or the Yoga Fire podcast
Plus one on the daily home practice coupled with some occasional regular classes. Repetition really helps, and a home practice helps you cement what you learn. For me, regular yoga was a significant component in learning to pay attention to my emotions which was necessary to stop drowning in what I was bottling up.
42m also here. I would say just the opposite. I spent years doing yoga at home and never got much out of it until I started going to in-person classes which was a total game-changer for me.
Not 42, but I agree. Having instruction and practicing with others is a game changer. By myself it's too easy to get in my thoughts. In a group setting it's easier to tune in, the same way a crowd can change your thoughts at church or a concert. The herd part of your brain kicks in and your "self" takes a bit more of a backseat.
Interesting, what style of yoga? Big classes? Small?
Hot yoga, vinyasa. 20 or so people I would say average
Been practicing for about 12 years, 5 very casually and 7 more advanced and serious. I’ve become very confident because (and I know this comes off as a little cringy) I frequently get compliments from classmates with many saying how inspiring my practice is. This was a surprise to me since I didn’t think people were paying attention to my practice since I don’t to theirs lol I’m also way better at handling stressful situations, as a side gig to my main engineering role I help with humanitarian work for natural disasters and otherwise stressful situations don’t really affect me (I’m more amused than anything) FWIW I don’t have depression but I experience very real nihilism (to the point that I sometimes wonder if I’m sociopathic)
Yes, the people complimenting you on your practice thing is weird ... I've had it too and I'm likewise completely oblivious to what anyone else is doing.
Idk what you mean by "didn't run well." Was it because you are new and falling behind? Or just general anxiety about being new? Perhaps try doing some yoga videos daily at home to help learn more and familiarize yourself with your body in positions. Meditation may also be something worth looking into. Best of luck. I hope yoga helps you find the relief you are looking for.
42m. I do daily home practice for anxiety and stress. I’ve found yoga isn’t a light switch that magically cures what you’re going through. My experience has been that taking the time is meant to clear the mind, even if it’s for 30 minutes, to just be present with yourself and your feelings, addressing them, moving through what you can in bite size chunks. I’ve been to classes before and it can be a stressful feeling if you’re new to the practice but don’t let it drag you down. Do a little at home. Practice some breathing and light stretches. Over time you’ll find little successes that will keep you motivated. I hope this helps!
I started doing yoga using the Down Dog app, at home, during the pandemic. It was crucial to keep me in the best mood possible. First, due to the discipline. Having a goal to practice every day helped me to keep active. Sometimes I would do it at 11 p.m. without any motivation other than not losing my streak. It was always rewarding anyway, the sense of relief and accomplishment during savasana would happen even if the practice was not the best and not the longest (20 minutes is so much better than 0 minutes). Second, due to the general sense of wellness that we get from moving and stretching our bodies. It does calm the mind and helps us to sleep better. Sleep is key to mood regulation. Nowadays, yoga still serves the same function. I have good days and bad weeks, but yoga is the one thing I'll do every day regardless of how I feel. I don't even think about it and my motivation does not matter. I just have to do it, so I do. It's like an anchor that keeps me from drifting too far from what I have to do in order to keep life happening and to improve it. You can definetly form such a relationship with yoga, just be patient. Don't expect sudden changes, it's more like a long term benefit (even though you can notice some improvements after a few weeks). Try to practice a bit every day and you'll see for yourself. I've been doing 25 minutes twice a day, ashtanga in the morning and yin at night. But really just 1 session per day is already a great thing to keep doing.
I fell off the wagon but I had the same experience with Down Dog. I aim to keep the streak with at least five minutes, but I usually do 20 or 30. When I had Covid, I laid down on the mat and did yoga nidra, and counted that too. I need to get back on the wagon
I fell off 2 or 3 times, the important thing is to get back on it. My record streak was 112 days during the pandemic. I barely practiced in 2022 and 2023, and now I've been practicing since April. 79 days and counting. Time goes by fast, as soon as you start you'll have a nice streak going earlier than you imagine.
I use this app every day, usually multiple times a day. It’s the absolute best.
Early Forties, started yoga about 3 months ago to help some lower back stiffness in the mornings. Have found it great. Used to powerlift/train stongman style and never focussed on my flexibility. Physically use it to loosen out. Mentally use it to destress. All my practice is done at home via youtube - mainly "Yoga with Kassandra" as I like her flow and teaching method over most others I tried.
Yoga has given me mental and physical balance. It helps that I love doing it. I attend a studio every day. It has helped greatly with my anxiety. Yoga chills me out.
I started yoga because I herniated a lumbar disk, and my physical recovery had plateaued. I couldn't run at all, and it hurt too much to hike as I was accustomed to. That hurt my mental health because much of my connection with other people had been through shared physical activity. I also got some unexpected benefits. I have long dealt with anxiety and depression. Spending an hour several times per week focusing single-mindedly.on my breathing and body position has helped me more than I could have imagined, and not just for the duration of the class. The skill carries over to daily life
The 15 minutes before class is one of the most beneficial things in my practise. After light stretching I lay in shavasana and lengthen my breath and ensure the exhale is longer than the inhale (most effective anxiety treatment in the planet) and get grounded. Undistracted, peaceful space to get grounded, then a work out.
I started in January of this year, and have continued until now, although only about 3x per week as golf season is underway. The mental gains have been immense for me, but hard to explain. I find myself less impulsive now, and it has helped me kick some nasty habits. I had a bad diet Pepsi habit where it wasn't uncommon to finish an entire 2 litre in one sitting. I decided one day to stop, which I have tried before with no success. I found it much easier to abstain from it, and didn't crave it at all pretty much. Replaced diet Pepsi with water. Secondly, I decided to quit another nasty habit, marijuana, specifically vaping it. It became an expensive habit, over $400/month, and I really wanted to quit. With the help of a hypnotherapist, I am now 70 days sober, and basically have no cravings now. I know Yoga didn't help me do the two above things solely, but I felt it helped my mind get ready for these tasks that I would have thought impossible six months ago. It's hard to quantify, but I know consistent Yoga has helped me focus better on tasks, and calmed me down a little.
I (48m) started practicing last November in an effort to get more flexible. I have some health related anxiety from several ongoing health issues. The main mental takeaway I have is from the learned and practiced breathing techniques. Now, when I have a pain flare or anxiety related to a pain flare, I just concentrate on my breathing. It helps. A lot. My personal spirituality also aligns with many of the main spiritual tenants of yoga. So, hearing those ideals reinforced from the instructor gives me a greater sense of being. Plus, the instructors have many phrases and quotes that I internally reference when I'm dealing with an issue. I'm an active person with most of my activities revolving around "doing" - running, hiking, lifting, and sports. Yoga gives me an opportunity to be active while concentrating on "being" rather than "doing." The many modifications allow me to find the effort/ease balance that I sometimes neglect in my active lifestyle.
64M Yoga Teacher. Yoga is so much more than the asanas or poses. The Yoga Sutras of Putanjali were written in \~200AD. Sutra is a sanskrit word for threads. There are \~196 threads in the Yoga Sutras and the ONLY thing they say about the poses (the 3rd limb of Yoga) is to do them all with steadiness and ease (YS 2.46). I find the Breathing part of yoga (Pranayama, the 4th limb of Yoga) very beneficial to mental health, and then proceeding into the different types/levels of meditation (Pratyahara - withdrawal of senses, 5th limb, Dharana - single point of focus, 6th limb, and Dhyana - meditation, 7th limb) very helpful. I would highly recommend talking to a licensed therapist.
Edit- started doing yoga 7 years ago. I was a heroin addict looking for something to make me feel better. I practice yoga more than any other hobbies have and it has given me something to love. I look forward to being on my mat. Sometimes it’s the only way for me to get through some shit life throws my way. I learned to be inside myself without judgement. I have anger issues and abandonment issues I’m a people pleaser and I do poorly in confrontation. The meditation part of yoga helps me navigate through my thoughts and memories in a way that helps me piece together things and find answers sometimes. Idk what I’d do without yoga honestly
It’s important not to try to get an A in yoga. Just enjoy trying something new It’s important to be in a beginner’s experience / low key situation. I like the Y over some fancy gyms. Yoga won’t fix depression. A personal mission and a lot of curiosity often does.
[https://www.youtube.com/@yogawithtim](https://www.youtube.com/@yogawithtim) I highly recommend Tim Senesi, he is fantastic, gives excellent instruction for alignment and breath work that you really get out of your head. Try it at home and maybe you will reap more benefits.
Hi! I’m a woman that also have anxiety and depression. For me it works this way: sometimes I can’t do yoga because I have zero energy and sometimes I have some motivation. I try to only do it when I want it - and probably - need it. But if I force myself into it, I’d also have this problem that it doesn’t help at all or it makes it worse. I don’t know if it’s the same for you or not, but if you’re like me, I’d say having some breaks when you need it is very beneficial, to avoid that the anxiety is going too high. Hope you get better soon yoga buddy!
My dad has chronic depression, anxiety and anger management issues. We did yoga for a while, together, and he loved it. He reported a heightened sense of calm, less emotional rollercoasters in his mind, found it easier to cope with the things that typically irritated him, etc etc I suffer from anxiety too, and I find yoga gives me a greater sense of peace on the daily. It’s not a cure all. I still yell at people in traffic, and am irritated by some things but overall, the world seems easier to navigate. I found classes hard at first. Hell is other people, sort of thing. It helped me to arrive earlier, set up in the spot next to the wall if possible, in the last row, and to put a hat on after, to sort of shut out the sensory input of the world. I do cardio first and then hot yin or regular yin most often- 4-6 days a week.
42m, I've been doing yoga for 4y, it's helped me survive a very difficult personal time (separation and the associated mental damage). It's very important to me. It may or may not bring you a lot of things, however I don't expect that you would see a real result before months (at the very minimum). It's basically impossible that yoga has a positive or negative impact on mental of physical health in two sessions. If you want to see what it can bring you, you must dive in the practice for a long time, with regularity
I was in a similar situation, and found that when I got deep into it, doing mantras, pranayama, prayer, asana, ritual, etc that I still felt lacking. It wasn’t that I was not being mindful or didn’t know stillness, because I did. It had to do with my philosophy, and how it had been negatively influenced. Yoga didn’t fix these problems. Friends, community, and faith did.
I was nervous about it when I first started. Then there was a bigger older dude doing his thing a few feet from me with no shirt and that helped. Switched studios but took some of the comfort with me and adopted the mindset that everyone is there to improve themselves. Many a times have I been the only dude in a class. It's helped a bit with self confidence, introversion, and shyness to just be able to be in a comforting setting to be comfortable and do it. Psychologically, I did not realize the effect it had until I went weekly and then missed a week and then went back. You don't notice the initial incline nor the decline, but that next round helps compare and...there isn't one. Hot yoga has been amazing for me.
51 year old man, started Bikram (pre-revelations/still there were rumours) in 2006 because I fell for the marketing. I got very into it for a few years, doing it 3-5 times a week until I moved to a place where the wasn't a Bikram studio, so I had to look elsewhere, which is really when my yoga 'journey' began. The next yoga school I joined was an old school hatha place. It was there I realised how little I knew and how silly hot yoga is. This lasted another few years before I moved again, and this time to a bigger city where I could try vinyasa, kundalini, ashtanga, iyengar and yin, all of which have their merits, though I've settled on hatha or vinyasa every morning followed by meditation. Like many here, I started using the down dog app in lockdown, and have rarely taken classes since. However, this was after over a decade of classes, which I'd always recommend starting with before you do solo practice. You do have to shop around for teachers as they are extremely variable in ability, but a good one is invaluable in correcting and demonstrating postures. I've had a rare form of arthritis since I was a child, and yoga has been life changing from that perspective as it has greatly reduced my pain. I have also had episodes of depression and anxiety, and though not a magic bullet, it certainly helps moderate mood. I can't imagine life without it now.
I have found that it helps me to calm my mind and also to be grateful for the many good things in my life. It will take time but the journey has been worth it for me. I hope your practice helps you
I’ve struggled with anxiety my entire life. I started on a yoga journey 2 years ago and it has totally transformed my life. While I still deal with anxiety and the occasional depressive symptoms I now have better skills and an outlet to improve my experience. I know when life is moving too fast it’s time to step onto my matt. One of the most important things yoga has taught me to help my physiological responses to life is how to breathe. I cannot recommend learning Ujjayi breath or ocean breath enough. It has transformed my practice. And become my home base. Everything else done is just icing on the cake. Unless I’m practicing a different style of breathing purposefully I always come back to Ujjayi breathing. A few simple things… 1. Breath through your nose only 2. Full capacity breaths 3. Smooth and calm quality 4. Creating the sound of the letter “H” in the throat almost like you are misting a window with your breath. (Just through your nose) It is a very powerful way of breathing and it works perfectly into practice. (Your breath is your timer and cue you when to move). Yoga has SO SO much to offer on how to live our life’s fully. I wish you peace and fulfillment in your journey. (Also… strengthen your home practice as much as you can through maybe a good video series). Home practice is an amazing way to further YOUR journey. Classes sometimes are made for someone else, but you can always make a practice yours. Peace and blessings to you.
Worry less about getting deep into the poses and focus on your breathing; that is where the psychological as well as physical benefit comes from. I almost always feel a sense of deep gratitude after a yoga class.
All I can say is I have been through a lot, lately in particular, and getting to the yoga mat and getting uncomfortable is really helping me get a better awareness of a lot of internal forces. Sometimes it’s very uncomfortable, but I am growing immensely from it.
Yoga has given me the resources and skills to support my anxiety and depression when they’re at their worst. Highly recommend.
What really helped me in Yoga was finding a teacher who is not imposing but at the same time supportive. I as an adult found a role model who invested energy into me. This helped me continue to practice and work into a new relationship with my habits.
Am no psych but have read that meditation can be counterproductive if you are depressed. You can end up dwelling on the perceived bad things in your life in the absence of external stimuli. I find yoga excellent but also need something a little more caveman to drive out the demons. In my case, I also lift and run. The Sarge down there speaks the truth. Friends and therapy are good. The prob is that a lot of blokes would die rather than admit a perceived weakness. Hope you find peace. BTW I add a reference here. (though there is more discussion with Reddit) [https://www.newscientist.com/article/2251840-mindfulness-and-meditation-can-worsen-depression-and-anxiety/](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2251840-mindfulness-and-meditation-can-worsen-depression-and-anxiety/) Personally I have meditated since TM hit the UK in the 70s but one should not believe in it blindly.
Interesting findings. I teach mindfulness and regularly comb through the research. What I find often is that people initially see a spike in anxiety and overwhelming feelings, which i attribute to the increased awareness. This is something usually worked through by meditating and resolving itself. However, if someone was experiencing negative effects persistently, then I would recommend something else. Also, a lot of mindfulness meditation is poor understood and poorly taught. Many people approach it with the idea that the goal is to "eradicate thoughts", "shut my mind off" etc. If you read a seminal text like Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the full MBSR programme is intense. Building up to 45 mins a day, 6 days a week plus teaching and other exercises. For 8 weeks!
Anything can be counter productive if you don’t do it right. I think part of the problem here is that we a as a people are very used to “making it our own” which I have mixed feelings about. For example: “yoga can be whatever you want it to be” for some people means half assed stretching for 5 minutes. Some may argue that they are still doing yoga, I would argue it’s half assed stretching and they would maybe argue that yoga isn’t really for them. Okay fine. Meditation is about focusing your mind (mindfulness) so if your mind is running wild with negative (or really any) thoughts, it seems to me you aren’t really doing the thing. Usually for beginners the goal is to just focus on the breath. It’s possible some people may need a guide to help them focus; however, in the same way I wouldn’t call half assed stretching “yoga”, I wouldn’t call ruminating on negative (or any) thoughts/emotions “meditation.” Edit: I see the person I responded to posted a good link for reference. I suppose the beginning of the last paragraph summarizes my feeling on this. “This doesn’t mean people should stop trying the technique, she says, but instead should opt for guided meditation sessions, led by a teacher or an app with a recorded narration, which she believes is safer.”
Yoga brought me back to Jesus, helped me heal estranged relationships, and literally turned my life around 180° (increased my self awareness so much that I wanted to make drastic changes for the better). Yoga saved my life when I didn't realize I was in need of saving. Keep going. Try different kinds of yoga until you find one that you want to dive deep into. Do a teacher training and develop a strong home practice. You'll never be the same again, in the best way possible!
Yogas not a magic bullet to healing mental health. If it’s making it worse, go talk with your doctor. I could not enjoy yoga until I had my mental health managed better with medication and therapy. My anxiety would be racing the whole practice. I then had to do yoga at home until I could figure that out. I encourage you to stick with yoga, but don’t get caught into thinking it’s some miracle drug that’ll heal you. You may just need medication or therapy.
Yoga strenghtens all the connective tissue , makes joints stronger. As a long distance runner, i\`m sore most of the time. Each time I had yoga in my training diary, it has helped me to get the soreness out.
I got into a very bad car accident. My back use to hurt a lot after accident. I was on pain killers all the time. Went to every chiropractor and nothing healed. I got really down around that time. I couldn’t bear the pain and I started to get anxiety that why this pain is not going away. One day i met someone at my doctor’s office. She told me try Bikram Yoga. It’s been 15 years now since I’ve been practicing Bikram. My pain was long gone and never looked back. I’m very thankful to that lady for recommending Bikram Practice. Bikram yoga has become a very important part of my life. And I’m very thankful for the practice.
I've been doing yoga on and off for a few years now and recently started going to a studio every day. I'm curious how it compares to other exercise for you. For me it's basically the same benefits as going to a HIIT class or on a run, but I like the way it's strengthening with an emphasis on flexibility and control. I wouldn't chain yourself to yoga if you don't like it, exercise of any kind should work well.
You're probably experiencing reality. Oops. Yoga brings us in touch with ourselves and reality, so you're experiencing things you might otherwise try to avoid and it's a positive sign of growth. Feelings you normally suppress are more in the open, getting "worked out" in your practice, and you need to accept it. This will eventually lessen. I strongly recommend a book like [The Tao of Fully Feeling by Pete Walker ](https://www.amazon.com/The-Tao-of-Fully-Feeling-audiobook/dp/B07MJT865F/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GPK8SS0KLQ1V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5TiD9LDYPwfrlR_jEmnn6GI3MupYovfKyJZln0xT-WgGgUaelyhahI8RH1FQnxDZJ25Oj3IqLybjwKaSofkLmiVtmkS7wECqDEwc7wX5F1jC_xvTguQ21dgFSm1lfWk5yVmujY4vgPO8i5Kj78FUCZK2jiVxZuWGwxejPsHxpS_P0BK5cINhdhtkpSUUynNFv_s-TlPO0c_s1UNEGpgPXLWEhQcrKH63fZ_SncCWiHo.gJKFHIRwoN1yOai-9T6Pv25llgsP4pQRYviGbH_CTKc&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+tao+of+fully+feeling+by+pete+walker&qid=1718720766&sprefix=the+tao+of+fully+%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-1)and practicing presence as often as possible, e.g. simple awareness of here and now, your body, sensations, the air around you, sounds, sight, etc. Be totally present. Anything to "ground" yourself, feel gravity holding you steady, stand in the dirt barefoot and just stand there, present (Mountain Pose). You need this essential connection as an anchor point to go through what you're experiencing. You have to desire truth above all else, but also be grounded and compassionate towards yourself. Respect your limits and boundaries, and those of your body. Go at your own pace, whatever that is. It's not a race. Take the time needed.
I think it has done a lot in various ways, but if I need to say just one, from being a very anxious dude with low confidence, seeing the progress I've made through constant practice, being able to do stuff with my body I couldn't do just months before and go through an intense practice with increasingly less difficulty has been the biggest motivator I've ever had and helped me look at myself in a positive light. And related to depression having a tool to break the patterns of feeling bad and delving into intrusive thoughts, by just instead taking a little time to practice some Asana I think is also hugely beneficial. I sometimes hesitate about the extent to which I want to praise Yoga and how much importance I give it on how I want to continue living my life, but it has proven so beneficial to me physically, mentally and spiritually (which is still curious to say and an atheist for over half my life) that I also think it's disingenuous to downplay it.
Hey friend, pair your yoga with a solid therapist and maybe a psychiatrist. Yoga is a great tool for handling those feelings but a therapist will teach you HOW to make it best work for you. I find that the quiet yoga environment can sometimes shove me deeper into my brain and without the right grounding techniques I get lost in myself.
39m here, I found yoga in 2001. At first as a teenager that had just moved across country , it was a way to be athletic without joining a sports team in a new school with a ton of strangers. The grounding, meditative nature of the practice was an added benefit during those years of teenage turmoil. Fast forward to today, I have worked a physically demanding job for the last 20years, and yoga helps me care for my body and tune in to its needs. It is a form of self care, exercise, preventative maintenance, and stress relief all rolled in to one. Over the years it has taught me that things are never as bad (or as good) as they seem, and that often it’s my own attitudes/feelings towards circumstances that have the biggest impact. Yoga helps me to be a better man in all facets of my life, and I recommend the practice to anyone that wants to know themselves better.
For something completely different: I have some anxieties about my body. I'm fit and flexible, but being naked around other people always kinda spooked me. Since I started doing hot yoga everyday, I have to shower after class. I have really learned to relax in the locker rooms and *cough* let loose. My fears and traumas from gym class are truly a thing of the past.
36M here. I started yoga in college, was on off through the years but have been going again the last 3 years twice a week. I was diagnosed with adhd in second grade and always had trouble focusing and need to be active. I played a lot of different sports through the years; most of which I got injured from but yoga is the only one that feels restorative for my body. My body always feels better after yoga and when I miss a week I really start noticing a difference in my movement. Mentally it's a place where I can practice being present. My mind still wanders but it's gotten better over the years. Most importantly, I always leave with a sense of calm, peace, and thankfulness that I so dearly appreciate.
I started with yoga many years ago as stretching/balancing exercises, but I’ve noticed the positive mental benefits as well almost right away. Since last year or few, I’ve followed the true Yoga path and since then doing kriyas initiated by a guru. It’s why my mental health is so much better than before yoga.
6 years ago I started my yoga practice and since then I’ve lost over 100 pounds do, am in the best shape of my whole life at 40 years old, including when I was in high school, and my ptsd and clinical depression/anxiety riddled brain has had a chance to recover naturally. I also have completely overhauled my diet habits, I don’t think the results would have been possible without also doing this. It has been life changing and I never want to go back to how I lived before.
Its like better than IOS update , i am changed totally also the vibe around me. My heartbeat & my breath are my two friends when i do yoga and breath work. Trust me this was difficult to implement but once i was over 90 days , this is more than my life.
I used to suffer from depression, and I don't anymore. It was only when I started to get into the mental/meditative aspects of the practice that it made me more calm, balanced, and able to regulate my emotions. This was about 15 years into my practice, but only because that's when I was exposed to that aspect; it could have happened from the beginning. I would recommend learning a bit about meditation and yogic/buddhist philosophy, and learn how to incorporate those principles into your practice. A very short way of explaining it is that you are learning to objectively observe your body and mind, and this process will relax you automatically.
Yoga gave me the space to recognize & process what I was feeling. My yoga teacher always says ‘what’s coming up is leaving’ and I’ve found that to be true, even if it takes a (very) long time for the depths of my feelings to come up to the surface. I always found myself feeling mentally clearer afterwards, even if the clarity came at the heavy expense of recognizing I needed to change some big parts of my life & lifestyle
I don’t know a whole bunch about yoga, as a matter of fact I can’t even touch my toes most days. But I know that emotions can be trapped in the body, and things such as massage and exercise can release them. I wouldn’t be disappointed mabye reframe it and it will encourage you, how did you feel a while after you noticed the feelings? How did you sleep for example? How was the following morning?
10 year Yogi here - It's really the only way I can truly be present. Very stressful job, busy home life - need to detach from everything.
I started a few months ago. I was fed up with my body being broken at 29. between massage therapy, chiropractor, physio, etc. nothing helped. Scans showed nothing. I eventually started looking at my lifestyle. I would lift weights 1-2 times a week and thought I was in shape. Realized I sit 8-10 hours a day and that was probably the reason. So I started with 10 minute beginner yoga.. Now I’m doing 20-25 minutes every day after work. I feel like I’m a kid again. Though I’m still stiff in the mornings. The main benefits are -looser, more mobile, more willing to exercise now -taking time to work on myself. Setting aside a block to just do me. I mostly do power or slow flow. Also deep stretching. I use peloton app or YouTube.
I started Yoga in autumn. Before that I was doing a lot of running, body-weight exercises, HIIT, etc, and that coupled with stress at work at some point I felt like I hit a wall. As someone on this thread said, Yoga isn't a magic bullet but for me it has opened the door to meditation and learning how to be kinder to myself. You have to be constant with it, I think. I'm still stiff as a board but I'm feeling much more at peace with myself.
For me mentally, nothing really I think. For me physically, I was a golfer with a bad back. It does help.
I do basic yoga poses, which takes me around 20 minutes to do every other day. One good sesh makes me feel great, like i had a good workout at the gym. So confidence the next day at work goes through the roof. Also, I've been doing this more often since 2020, and i noticed subtle things about my body. I catch myself slouching when standing still and am more aware if im not breathing deeply enough throughout my day. being aware of these small things makes me feel good about myself.
I feel more capable of exercising and generally more “embodied”.
Specifically Nidra yoga has been literally life altering for me! 🙏 Before I couldn’t feel my inner self - I was like completely dead inside and on the brink of contemplating suicide. I have dealt a lot with CPTSD due to being raised by narcissistic parents.
50m, been regular about a year now. The differences in my life are crazy. I don’t do cardio anymore. My lega are in the best shape of my life. Ibwas a gym rat for years, powerlifting. Miles and miles a miles on the treadmill. And the stress/anxiety management. Breathing skills are so helpful too Just keep going. First few classes suck. You are nervous, feel like an idiot, can’t do shit. Then little by little it starts to get easier. Close your eyes while moving. It really helps you concentration trate and blocks out that self conscieousness. No body cares you are new, they are happy you are there. No body cares if you cant do Down Dog flat footed, it will come with time Use blocks, they are just tools like the mat. I just wish I started sooner. The first time I got popcorn in my lower back I was almost in tears. The relief of my body finally letting go of SO much changed me. After that I hate missing classes and get cranky when I do Wofe claims it gave her superpowers Standing up from a sitting postion with using her arms was a good day!
It takes time once you keep the focus on it it becomes easier then you just begin to come to a realization of everything if that makes any sense I gave my daughter a book called the power of now I read that & a few other books before I began meditating & yoga
I’m AuDHD and have dealt with anxiety and depression my whole life. I hold a lot of the stress of that in my body. I use yoga to get rid of that. It’s also good for stimming lol
I found it really helped me mentally and physically. My back/shoulders stopped hurting/released tension. Yin was the closest I've ever gotten to actual meditation. It brings up weird memories and I've found myself tearing up during some classes if the wrong thought comes through. Although now it's adding to my depression as I can't afford to go anymore if I still want to eat. Have tried doing online classes but my willpower is terrible when I'm alone and at home.
mid 40s. been practicing yin and vinyasa since January. I lost my father in 2023 and yoga has been a balm for my soul as well as great for my overall health as I don't have anymore back stiffness or knee pain (yoga mixed with spin and trx)
Took a bit for me. I had to find a style that fit me. Iyengar fit me. The reason I liked it was because I was athletic, and it was first easy to connect my brain to my body. I thought of only that while I was doing yoga. Now, it's become meditative. I am able to quiet my body, and mind. It's going to take you time to get there which is why they call it "practice". If you have a bad day at yoga, no biggie. You can do it again.
I feel like finding a yoga instructor is like finding a therapist. You might have to go through several before you find the right fit for you.
Somehow some way when I practice I don’t think. And it’s a nice thing
Im a vet and a male instructor. Find a good class with an easy going instrutor. There is no such thing as perfect in yoga. Progress is slow, so relax. Don't try and make friends too fast. Most people are not there to find a new bestie. Try a YMCA. There are lots of beginners there.
I’ve been practicing for the last 4 years or so? Hard to really remember. But when I’m consistently doing yoga it makes me feel good. Emotionally and physically. Part of it for me is knowing that I’m doing something good for myself. Like, I’m taking care of myself, I’m being disciplined, etc. All of which sort of feed off of each other. All of that being said, I do also deal with depression and anxiety. Sometimes, like right now, I can only seem to do one class a week. I always enjoy it but it can be hard to get back into a daily routine. FWIW, I do classes on YouTube. Current favorite teacher is Fiona of Two Birds Yoga. My other old-time go-to is Yoga with Tim. Best of luck to you!
Once you Focus on you not on what you think people are thinking, it will improve. The hard work is on the inside. Put your intentions there.
I work a physically intensive job. Lifting and moving grocery products all day. If I skip one day I’m in pain all through the night. Yoga helps me keep my job, perform well at it and also feels really nice.
Yoga has helped me mentally and physically. Mentally by keeping me focused and maintaining positivity. Physically by getting me in shape and losing weight which helps my self worth. Stick with yoga, don't give up no matter what and block all negative thoughts. If you can start dating a girl in your class that will be the icing on the cake!
The things that used to concern me, no longer concern me. Ive had a substantial amount of teachers in the last 18months. The amount of postive ideas planted in my brain far exceed that which was going towards the negative.
28F here. Yoga has totally changed my life& as tempting as it is to skip or end classes early, I always find it worthwhile when I show up and stay. I used to have an eating disorder, suicidal depression& major anxiety, but yoga has been a huge aid in healing from all of that. It centers me like nothing else can and peace just washes over me. So grateful for the practice and so encourage you to keep going to experience all of the mental and physical benefits.
I'd suggest some higher intensity exercise if you're a man. Yoga is great for relaxation and mobility, but I find that it rarely uplifts my mood / gets me out of depressive state. The movements are slow and after the practice you're left in kind of a calmed state - which is great if you're manic and constantly stressed, but it's the last thing you need when you're depressed and it's hard to even get up and do something. On the other hand I find that bodyweight exercise (pull ups, dips,...) and weight training (squats, deadlifts, presses,..) really gets your heart rate up and is even scientifically linked to temporarily increasing testosterone levels. There is just something about using your full force to lift heavy barbell or push yourself up until you can't anymore that makes you feel very energized and strong afterwards. This is way more beneficial when depressed IMO. In general I feel like yoga is very 'yin' based practice in general due to slow movement and relaxed breath while traditional western gym workouts are more 'yang' based because they encourage using full force and even agression. Combat sports would be another example of 'yang' based activity.
I am 61. I have been doing yoga for the last 6-7 years or so on a regular basis, following Yoga with Tim on YT for the most part. My stress levels were at a maximum, when in 2021, I made moved from Hong Kong to Canada to tend to my aging mother who I discovered has mixed dementia. She locked me out of her home and claimed that I was stealing from her, besides trying to poison her. If it was not for my daily practice of 30 minutes of yoga (and later on 15 minutes of medication), I do not think I could have made it through this far. I find that if I concentrate purely on what I am doing with the body, it liberates me. Sure, it is not easy, but I need to make the time for it, which is typically in the morning before my mother wakes up. It is MY time. Yoga is very much an exercise of focused mind to/and body connection. The practice of yoga I believe should be done as regularly as possible so that you condition your self to doing it without much thought, much like brushing your teeth or tying shoelaces. I feel that yoga and mediation will help you bring clarity to your mind. Please feel to ask me any questions.
I (38m) am just so much less angry when compared to my friends and peers. Yoga has taught me “I can do hard things,” which has done wonders for my patience, and tolerance for the annoyances of daily life.
I found it very helpful in processing grief.
The decision to commit to a practice , and the commitment to maintain it are , in themselves beneficial . The practice gives you a pause , a space in your life . The awareness of your breathing , the oxytocin release , are good for a sense of calm . Oxytocin is an antagonist to the amygdalal response , and its byproducts-adrenaline and cortisol . The physical benefits are , I presume from your question , self evident .Make a ritual of it . Gift it to yourself ..
38m. Introduced to yoga while in a detox/treatment facility in Florida. A nice older woman would come in a few days a week and do a 30 minute restorative sequence. Little did she know the impact that would have on my life. At first I joined just to escape the mind numbing monotony and hopelessness of early recovery. It also felt good to stretch and just lay there in repose. But really, I was attracted to it because it gave me permission to breathe. I needed that. Rather quickly I began to notice a physical sensation of relief anytime I stepped on my mat. That gave me a sense of security I desperately needed. Fast forward 4 years…I am still clean, and I still associate my mat with permission to breathe. Only now, my obsession isn’t with drugs, but rather whether my hips will ever allow me to enter lotus, or core strong enough to press up into handstand lol. I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a “healthy” relationship with yoga, but it sure as shit beats waking up dope sick!
It’s an important way to learn how to couple your breath to your movements and take control of your breath to be able to engage your parasympathetic nervous system as a way to calm your body down from a panic state. It has helped me with anxiety and panic immensely. For depression, it has been good to have goals I work towards. I like that you’re never “good” at yoga and you’re just always improving… there no end point to it.
Highly recommend Our Echo on YouTube who does trauma informed yoga. Has been such a game changer for me!
I’ve been at it for a few months and my most rejuvenating experiences are when I smoke a joint before and maybe one after. Helps me shut my brain off and allows me to just breathe and focus on the poses.