Dua Lipa in 2019. Image courtesy: Hanna Moon for @TheBeatJuice, via Twitter.
I’ve always been the one to say the first goodbye/ Had to love and lose a hundred million times/ Had to get it wrong to know just what I like/ Now I’m fallin’ –Dua Lipa, Break My Heart (from “Future Nostalgia,” 2020).
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Recovering from stress, anxiety, severe depression, and trauma is not a “linear” process.
The path toward physical and emotional rehabilitation can differ for everyone. For instance, some people recover very quickly from mental illness and trauma — while others can require years of therapy.
Although physical health and mental wellness can be a subjective experience — there is no question that stress, anxiety, and the bio-physical effects of severe trauma can lead to an early death. When practicing yoga began to gain popularity in mainstream American culture about 20 years ago, the focus quickly shifted to the physical benefits that practitioners gained from the yoga poses – or “asanas” in the ancient Indo-Aryan language.
Yoga practice became associated with wealthy people with ample time to engage in recreational exercise and the resources to eat exorbitantly priced organic food, wear expensive name-brand fitness apparel, and purchase high-end workout equipment. However, the essence of yoga is melding physical movement and breathing to activate the meditative aspects of the mind.
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BKS Iyengar in his signature pose, Natarajasana, or “Lord of the Dance Pose.” Photo image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
This meditative state is one of the many ways yoga alleviates stress, anxiety, depression, and mental turmoil.
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja “BKS” Iyengar (1918–2014) was a legendary yoga instructor and author from India who is one of the leading masters of the practice. BKS Iyengar created restorative yoga, which led to the development of yoga therapy.
Yoga therapy is a slow, passive style of practice designed specifically for people seeking to recover from physical injuries, reduce stress, and eliminate anxiety. During his many years of practice and client advocacy, BKS Iyengar found restorative yoga and yoga therapy particularly useful for treating severe depression, seasonal allergies, hypertension, asthma, diabetes, chronic physical injuries, and heart blockages.
A yoga therapy session is like an occupational rehabilitation specialist or physical therapist appointment – conducted privately or in small groups. The emphasis is on correct alignment, proper breathing, muscle relaxation, and the therapeutic use of asana and pranayama to address physical and mental infirmities.
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Synchronizing physical movement with the breath to create heat in the body is the essence of yoga.
The heat, sweat, and breathing techniques purify the body and the mind. That purity allows us to eradicate physical infirmity and live free from mental confusion. BKS Iyengar also found restorative yoga helpful in conquering the mental limitations associated with anger, frustration, and depression through the process of “moving in meditation.”
When we have less stress in our bodies and anxiety in our minds, we can live more meaningful and purposeful lives.