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Amy Weintraub is the Author of Yoga for Depression: A Compassionate Guide to Relieve Suffering through Yoga (Broadway Books, 2004) |
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LifeForce Yoga® for Depression News
From Amy Weintraub, MFA, RYT, Author of Yoga for Depression: A Compassionate
Guide to Relieve Suffering through Yoga (Broadway Books, 2004)
...Prayer was a quality of attention. To make so much room for the given that it can appear as
gift. From Stephen Mitchell’s poem, “The Baal Shem
Tov,” Portraits and Parables (HarperPerennial)
Last month, while teaching “Yoga to Beat the
Blues” at Kripalu, I had the opportunity to meet two of my heros when they
attended my evening program: Bessel and
Betta van der Kolk. Bessel is the
psychiatrist, specializing in trauma recovery, who put PTSD on the map (DSMIII
inclusion based on his research). Betta
is a Rosenfeld body psychotherapist. I
quoted Bessel in the last issue of this newsletter and often quote him when
speaking and teaching. Here’s one of my
favorites—“As long as people sit on their tochas and simply move their
tongues around, they might not be able to make enough of a difference to affect
internal sensations and motor actions.
People need to learn to regulate their physical states in order to get
their minds to work. Once they shift their physiological patterns, their thinking
can change.” (Psychotherapy Networker, February, 2004). It was a pleasure to introduce him to the
audience and let him speak for himself!
Please read below about the one-on-one yoga healing intensives here
in Tucson. I’m grateful to be
surrounded by an amazing team of healers!
The only downside is that if you work with us here, you may not want to
leave. One participant has already
moved to Tucson! Blessings, Amy
In this Issue: Practice: Mudras In the News Designing an Intensive in Tucson Schedule of Workshops
& Trainings
In the last few years, I’ve benefited from the addition of hasta mudras (hand gestures, seals) in my pranayama breathing practice and my meditation practice. “Oh, so many things to practice,” you might be saying. “I hardly have enough time to stretch into a few asanas in the morning and she’s suggesting more techniques!” Take heart. My own recovery from depression in 1989, was built on the foundation of a very simple daily practice—postures and, when I remembered, Ocean-sounding Victory breath. At that time, I was unable to meditate. But over the years, as my sense of well-being, my positive mental health and my joy has become more firmly established, my practice has deepened and expanded, so that I now enjoy a sitting practice. And I’m finding that hasta mudras enhance that practice. There are more nerve endings on the tips of the fingers than anywhere else in the body, except the tongue. When we use the hand gestures that comprise the hasta mudras, we are sending messages to the brain. I find I am calmer and more focused and meditation is easier when I use the mudras. I regularly practice seven mudras during my morning sadhana. I’m going to suggest one for you to experiment with today. If you’re interested in learning more, I teach them in workshops, There are also two excellent resources that can kind you in home practice: First, my mentor, Richard Miller, Ph.D., has an excellent monograph that illustrates the mudras, provides an order for practicing them, and explainshow they affect the mind, body and spirit from a Yogic point of view. It’s called Mudra: Gateways to Self-Understanding and you can order it by calling 707 823-5023, or from the web site: www.nondual.com. The second resource is: Mudra: Yoga in Your Hands, a book by Gertrud Hirschi (Weiser Books). Practice: Next time you are retaining the breath, perhaps after a vigorous pranayama or kriya, try Adi Mudra. Adi means first, and it is similar to the way in which a baby will make a fist and wave it in the air. This mudra is also called Poorna Prana Nadi Mudra. Make fists with your thumbs tucked against your palms. Press your fists together along the length of the fingers between the second and third knuckles so that your little fingers touch your abdomen below the navel with your fingernails facing up. You can practice this mudra with breath retention, or longer, while simply observing the breath. In the News The February issue of the American
Journal of Psychiatry reports on a study that looks at gender, social
support and depression. The study found
that the lives of male-female twin pairs reveal a striking difference between
men and women in how social relationships influence the risk for
major depression. Scientists examined
the social networks of 1,057 pairs of adult opposite-sex twins and
one year later assessed their rates of major depression. Among women,
the risk of depression rose sharply as the level of social support
fell. Even though the men reported less social support overall, it
did not affect their likelihood of depression. Comment: When we participate in a yoga class, we are
enhancing our social network. We
practice along side like-hearted, like-minded others, forming a community of
support or a sanga. IRAQ returnees
and depression
Government statistics reveal 31,000 veterans of
Operation Iraqi Freedom have applied for disability due to injuries or
psychological problems since July 2004.
Recent army study shows that one in six soldiers in Iraq suffers
some type of depression or post traumatic stress disorder, and emotional scars. A soldier is permitted 6 mental health visits
without it going on record. Comment: How about Yoga at the VA? Exercise an antidote to
depression The
Journal of Preventative Health reports that individuals who participate in
moderately intense aerobics three to five days per week experience a decline in
depressive symptoms by an average of 47 percent after 12 weeks. The study was conducted at University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The
study also observed the effects of mild exercise and stretching. With a less intense workout, depressive
symptoms decline by 30%. Stretching
three times a week for twenty minutes showed a 29 percent decline in depressive
symptoms. Comment: The stretching was not yoga. For Yoga to be effective in working with
mood disorders, it should incorporate attention to breath and sensation in the
body. Twenty minutes of practice, three
times a week, may produce a mild feel-good effect, but is probably not
sufficient to establish and maintain positive mental health. Research: Depression Genes
Although there is no known gene that specifically predicts
depression, a mutant gene has been discovered that is ten times more prevalent
in people suffering from depression.
This mutant gene is linked to treatment-resistant depression.
The gene starves the brain of serotonin, a
mood-regulating chemical messenger.
According to a study funded by National Institute of Mental Health and
the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, patients with the mutation failed
to respond well to the SSRI category of antidepressants. Menstruation and Depression In a new study published in
the January issue of Psychological Medicine, 64% of women with major
depression said their symptoms get worse five to ten days before their period.
Women whose symptoms worsened had depression for a longer duration of time than
women whose depression symptoms did not change because of the onset of
menstruation. The news could mean that the
menstrual cycle should be considered in depression treatment. Levels of vitamin E have been reported to be lower in
patients suffering major depression but it was not known whether this is due to
inadequate dietary intake or a result of depression. From McMan’s
Depression and Bipolar Weekly: A University of
Washington study that followed up on 605 Seattle kids (including those from
high crime areas) found the children who had received a full course through
grade school in social skills and emotional control were more likely to be
optimistic about the future and attend college or have a job, and less likely
to be involved in crime and use drugs at age 21 than kids receiving an
abbreviated program or no program. Earlier research has shown children who have
completed a full course are more involved at school, and have better grades and
fewer behavioral problems. McMan's Web Check out more than 280
articles on all aspects of depression and bipolar, plus a bookstore, readers'
forum, message boards, and other features at:
http://www.mcmanweb.com Research: Supplements
Vitamin B & Folic Acid
The B vitamins, most
importantly folic acid, vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12, appear to help fight
depression. These B vitamins work together in a variety of ways that complement
antidepressant therapy and are involved in the production of brain chemicals. Low levels of B vitamins
also contribute to dementia and heart disease.
This is significant because a recent study conducted in Germany has
shown that up to 60% of elderly people are deficient in B vitamins. Psychiatrists at
Massachusetts General Hospital found that Prozac was more likely to help
depressed people who had normal levels of folate in the blood, compared to
people who were deficient in folate. Further, people with low levels of folate
were more likely to relapse into depression, despite taking Prozac, and were
more likely to resist treatment, according to Harvard scientists. British reviewers concluded
that folate supplements would be a good addition to other treatments of
depression during the illness, and colleagues at Tufts University in Boston
recommend taking folate supplements for a year after recovery from
depression. Because folate works with
other B vitamins, the recommendation is to take it in a regular
multivitamin-mineral supplement rather than taking it alone. Foods
high in B vitamins include nuts, beans, whole grains and leafy green
vegetables. Vitamin E In
a study conducted in Australia, levels of vitamin E have been reported to be
lower in patients suffering from major depression. The research team measured plasma alpha-tocopherol levels in 49 adults
with major depression, and also looked at usual dietary intake of vitamin E by
investigating diet history in a subset of the group. Though 89% of the patients had normal or above levels of dietary
intake of the vitamin, the researchers say that it’s too soon to suggest adding
additional Vitamin E to supplement the diets of those suffering from major
depression. The group is doing further
research to determine the efficacy of dietary supplementation. Research: In Development Personal Retreats
Amy will design a personal
retreat in Tucson to meet your schedule and needs. In addition to daily private LifeForce Yoga® sessions with Amy and
opening ritual and ceremony, retreats include: 1.
Native American healing sweat lodge with Lewis Mehl-Madrona, M.D.,
author of Coyote Medicine and Coyote Healing http://www.healing-arts.org/mehl-madrona/ 2.
Consultation with Eve Wood, M.D., author of Medicine, Mind and
Meaning. http://www.drevewood.com/ 3.
Daily meditations and Chi Gong, plus an Energy Session with
Integrative Medicine doctor and energy healer, Ann Marie Chiasson, M.D. 4.
Nutritious and delicious meals prepared for you according to your dietary
restrictions. 5.
Lodgings in a beautiful private guesthouse in the foothills of the
Catalina Mountains, just north of Tucson. For more information go to
www.yogafordepression.com and
e-mail Amy. Private Sessions
Private sessions in LifeForce Yoga® Each session incorporates the principles of
LifeForce Yoga® to invite balance into the emotional and physical body, thereby
establishing and maintaining Positive Mental Health. An initial session
includes an assessment and, after the third session, a written home practice. Amy's Calendar LifeForce Yoga® Workshops & Training Schedule
The calendar is updated
every few weeks with new trainings, and I’m currently beginning to book events
in 2006, so please check http://www.yogafordepression.com/workshops.htm
for the most current information. On-line Discussion Group: Yoga and the Emotional
Body Whether
you are new to Yoga, a Yoga teacher, Yoga therapist or a psychotherapist, this
forum can be a valuable resource for you.
Talk with others about their experience in establishing and maintaining
positive mental health through yogic techniques. www.yogafordepression.com. The forum is hosted by yoga teacher Kristin
Barnekov-Short, who completed “Teaching to the Emotional Body” with Amy in
June, 2004 and is now leading Yoga for Anxiety workshops. Books: New & Recommended
The
Sacred Mirror: Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy,
Prendergast, Fenner and Krystal, Eds.
(Paragon House, 2003) In this collection of
essays, a nondual spiritual perspective underlies therapeutic treatment. From this orientation, the split between
self and other dissolves. What is recognized
in each client is her wholeness. Those
constructs that separate her from the knowledge of her wholeness are
dismantled. Nondualism is
non-secular. “This understanding,” says
editor John Prendergast, who wrote the introduction, “rooted in the direct
experience of countless sages throughout the millennia, is at the heart of
Hindu Vedanta, most schools of Buddhism, and Taoism, and mystical Christianity,
Judaism, and Islam.” And I would add,
Native American spirituality, as I understand it. Many of these essays
offer practical therapeutic techniques like a Nondual Approach to EMDR, the use
of Yoga Nidra, and eye gazing (therapeutic mirroring). There are essays by well-known authors
psychotherapists and teachers like John Welwood, Jennifer Welwood, Richard
Miller, Dan Berkow, Stephan Bodian, Bryan Wittine, Dorothy Hunt, John J.
Prendergast, Peter Fenner, Sheila Krystal and Lynn Marie Lumiere, as well as an
interview with Zen master Adyashanti. Prayers
to the Infinite: New Yoga Poems,
Danna Faulds (Peaceable Kingdom Books, 2004) yogapoems@aol.com In her third book,
Danna Faulds breaks into song—songs of devotion. These are beautiful poem-prayers in praise of the divine in all
forms. Though the very act of prayer
implies an Other, a sense of Thou, even nondualists may find pleasures
here. Here is one of the
poems I like the best, perhaps because even as a nondualist, I can imagine
offering this prayer. Prayer to the
Infinite Oh wild, unseen heart
of light and darkness. Oh spark of all desire, consciousness
and life, I pray to make this day
sacred, first to last, each act
an adoration, a celebration of what’s
true, all of it consecrated
to your vast, unbridled exuberance. I pray that I may serve
by doing what is mine to do,
knowing I will remember and
forget, find and lose, knowing
too that your infinite
grace is everywhere when I
choose to be attuned. Sayings of Swami Kripalu: Inspiring Quotes
From a Contemporary Yoga Master, edited with introduction and commentary by
Richard Faulds. (Peaceable Kingdom Books, 2004). yogapoems@aol.com
Here are two of my favorite quotes: Other Resources:
McMan’s
Depression and Bipolar Weekly http://www.mcmanweb.com/newsletter1.htm This
is an excellent source of news and information. International
Association of Yoga Therapists: www.iayt.org To learn move about Yoga for Depression (Broadway Books): http://www.yogafordepression.com/Yoga_For_Depression.htm To
listen to Amy’s audio practice CD, Breathe
to Beat the Blues: http://www.yogafordepression.com/Breathe_To_Beat_The_Blues.htm Blessings
on recovering and maintaining positive mental health! Amy P.S. We apologize if you received this e-mail by
mistake. Amy
Weintraub, MFA, RYT |
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