Yoga & Treating Mental Illness

By Emily Battaglia

Recent research has shown that practicing yoga can help to alleviate the symptoms of some serious mental illnesses, including depression disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder. Special breathing and meditation techniques in particular have provided relief to individuals who regularly suffer from severe mood swings, physical aches and pains, compulsive thoughts or behaviors, and panic attacks because of these mental disorders. In addition, yoga provides fragile individuals with a gentle way to exercise, which has also been linked to positive progress in treating mental disorders.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word which literally means “union”. Practitioners of yoga strive for the peaceful union of mind, body, and spirit. The practice of physical poses, called asana, represents only a part of yoga. Breathing exercises (called pranayama), and meditation exercises (dhyana) are also components of yoga. Commonly, all of these practices are referred to simply as yoga. Students of yoga are encouraged to approach each pose with an open heart and mind, to keep their minds quiet during practice, and to balance effort with reverence for their bodies. Although yoga requires effort and determination, students are never asked to push themselves past their physical limitations, or to experience strain or physical pain. The goal of practice is to slowly work toward holding each pose with strength and grace; this endeavor creates feelings of confidence, stability, calm, and vitality.

Yogic breathing and meditation methods have been particularly effective at alleviating symptoms of mental illness. Many individuals who suffer from severe mental illness are fearful of their own emotions. Experts believe that meditation, in a structured context like a yoga class, provides mentally ill individuals with a safe place to confront negative emotions; meditation also teaches self-awareness balanced with stillness of mind, which can help individuals effectively deconstruct negative thought processes and behaviors. Breathing techniques teach stillness of mind, and an ability to exist peacefully in the present moment. For example, one simple breathing technique involves breathing in to the count of four, and breathing out to the count of eight. This simple exercise brings almost immediate calm and focus. These techniques can divert individuals from anxious or compulsive thoughts and feelings (which are often attached to the past and the future), as well as physical symptoms of panic, and help them to avoid full-blown panic attacks and severe mood swings. In addition, yoga helps to create new, positive thought processes, as individuals regularly accomplish small goals and begin to see progress in their practice.

Yoga also promotes a healthy connection with the physical self. Individuals suffering from mental illness often experience alienation from their own bodies. Symptoms of mental illness can be terrifying and exhausting, leading many sufferers to feel betrayed or held prisoner by their bodies. Each yogic pose offers a way to reconnect positively with the body. Each pose is a way to self-exploration, both mental and physical. In addition, yoga offers gentle exercise for individuals who may be too fragile, either mentally or physically, to participate in more outgoing activities. Yoga is low-impact, and easily adapted to almost any level of fitness; practice enhances flexibility and coordination, and increases strength and muscle tone. Regular exercise has been shown to have a significant impact on mental health, especially when combined with more traditional methods such as medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. Yoga has also been shown to be most effective in combination with traditional methods.

A 2007 study by Boston University and McLean Hospital may have pinpointed one medical reason for yoga’s success in treating mental illness. Many major mental illnesses (including depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anxiety disorder) are linked to low levels of brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA), which is the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. The main function of GABA is to inhibit the firing of neurons in the brain and thereby aid an individual’s ability to calm down, relax, and sleep. The study found that practicing yoga can increase brain GABA levels, helping to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, panic, obsession, and depression.

References

Weintraub, Amy. Yoga: Not Just Exercise. Psychology Today, Nov/Dec 2000. Retrieved from http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20001101-000022.html on July 10, 2008.

Indramalar, S. Yoga for Life. The Star – Online. May 7, 2007. Retrieved from http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2007/5/7/lifeliving/17453508&sec=lifeliving on July 10, 2008.

Boston University. Office of Media Relations. (May 22, 2007). Study Finds Yoga Associated with Elevated Brain GABA Levels. Boston University News Release. Retrieved from http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/news/releases/display.php?id=1343 on July 10, 2008.

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Yoga & Treating Mental Illness