Yoga for Grief: Depression
“The hardest thing about depression is that it’s addictive. It begins to feel uncomfortable not to be depressed. You feel guilty for feeling happy.”
A Recap From Yoga for Grief: Depression
I’ll be the first to say that depression is hard to deal with, whether you’re in the grief cycle or not. It’s a monster all on its own, and it attacks some people more than others. It’s a thief in the night and can strike at any time, and though some people are able to let go of their depression quickly, others may end up getting lost in it.
Depression comes with many emotions. Maybe it makes you angry and snippy, but not so enraged that you feel like you’re in the anger stage. Maybe you feel numb and like doing nothing, or that you’ll never be happy again. Maybe you feel everything all at once, or maybe you feel nothing at all. Maybe you’re stuck in the bargaining stage and just wondering why all of this is happening.
Today’s practice taps into the duality of depression, starting off with building heat and moving quickly to rile our emotions up in the first half of class, then slowing things down immediately in the second half with a soothing yin practice that will help you tap into the emotions you may have blocked yourself from feeling.
Let it all out.
Every tear, every scream, every grunt, every bit of frustration, and maybe even all the bits of joy that come along every so often as well. Feel them all. Just like in the denial stage, you may be unwilling to let yourself feel certain emotions for fear of how much it may hurt. Blocking those emotions fuels the depression because it reinforces the idea of shutting down and giving up.
Within your yoga practice, the breath-to-movement function and the ability to sit deeper within postures to really allow your body to feel them helps you tap into those emotions. You face your physical sensations and their boundaries, whether you’re flowing or whether you’re sitting still. The yin especially can be challenging because we get so used to moving quickly from posture to posture, but we have to slow our minds enough to find stillness and simply focus on nothing more than this breath in, followed by this breath back out.
In life, during our grieving, whenever we’re depressed, that’s all we can ever do. At the end of the day, our bodies and our breathing will be the only thing there that’s left for us, so take care of yourself and be kind in your exploration of your grieving process. As always, it’s okay to feel how you feel, even if that’s nothing at all sometimes, just stay mindful and work toward not letting yourself get trapped in it.
For further breathwork off the mat, consider Humming Bee Breath
The Humming Bee Breath may feel a little strange at first, but it’s a great option for lowering your blood pressure and helping with any hypertension that may have started during (or even before) your grieving process. Also known as Bhramari Pranayama, it is practiced with your ears closed and a soft hum on your exhale.
To begin, find a comfortable seat and relax your shoulders as you sit nice and tall. Breathe naturally to start, then close your eyes if you’re comfortable doing so. Keep your lips sealed and inhale through your nostrils. Plug your ears (although this is really optional) and make and hold an “M” sound to create the humming sensation on your exhale. The longer sit in humming exhalation, the more relaxed the Bee Breath will make you feel, but don’t push yourself to do anything more than what you feel comfortable with.
If you’re seeking a journal entry, give your grief a character
Think about the Disney/Pixar movie Inside Out. If you’re unfamiliar, the main character, Riley, is made up of a bunch of different emotions including Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, with the ever-present Anxiety making an appearance in the upcoming second film. One of the reasons this movie landed so well is the characterizations of each of the emotions, who make up the whole plot of the film as they work to keep Riley afloat while also learning how important each of them is (yes, even the Sadness.)
When you’re in a depressed state, try the same. Give your feelings characters, either named directly after the emotions themselves like in the film or giving them a name of your choice. Give them characteristics and create a story with them. The story of your life, where you are in it, and everything in between. It may be hard, but do your best to have as much fun with this as you can, because, in the end, it’s meant to make you feel better!
