By Jennifer Safrey

“When a student practices once a day, she is adding the element of what psychologists call ‘self-control’ – the ability to be actively involved in the healing process.”

– Amy Weintraub, “Yoga for Depression: A Compassionate Guide to Relieve Suffering Through Yoga

I can truthfully say that yoga gave me the opportunity to take back my self-control – control I didn’t know I lost, and couldn’t know where and when I lost it. But when I found it again, it healed me, and I committed to sharing yoga as a teacher.

If I can help only one student to leave her mind behind, to quiet down her inner critic, to take her consciousness back and give it peace in the short time she spends on the mat, I will consider my work as a teacher to be the most fulfilling thing I have ever done.

There’s not quite as much literature as I thought there would be that is concerned solely with yoga as a self treatment for depression, anxiety, and other illnesses that manifest depression and anxiety as symptoms. Amy Weintraub in her book “Yoga for Depression: A Compassionate Guide to Relieve Suffering Through Yoga” and in her work in teacher training seems to be the modern leader in promoting yoga for depression and anxiety. In reading her research, it’s clear she’s studied pranayama and Buddhist teachings, but her own conclusions are complex and unique.

I am doing this independent study shortly after reading the required texts for the Aura Wellness Teacher Training program, so armed with this knowledge and the knowledge that comes with a decade of yoga practice, I decided to do some guesswork about yoga and depression, then do the research to see if I was right or wrong.

The first theory I had was that heart-opening asana – such as fish pose, camel pose, and bridge pose – would likely not be beneficial for those suffering from depression and anxiety as it might make them feel uncomfortable and too vulnerable.

Interestingly, the very first pose suggested by Mary NurrieStearns, LCSW, RYT; and Rick Nurrie Stearns (in their book “Yoga for Anxiety: Meditations and Practices for Calming the Mind”) is bridge pose. The fourth (heart) chakra is referenced earlier in the text: “Since fear can cause you to close your heart, it’s vital to compassionately keep your heart open, because a closed heart robs you of the happiness that comes from loving. … Back-bending poses, which stretch back your shoulders and expose your heart, release grief and make space for new life. Gentle back-bending poses are therapeutic for the anxiety caused by any belief or experience that has convinced you that you can’t love or be loved.”

Weintraub also promotes camel pose as an essential asana that is “so beneficial for depression. After practicing this posture, you will feel lighter, brighter, and ready for what life brings.”

I can’t find anything to support my theory at this time, but in the meantime, I’m going to respectfully disagree with the expert opinion. I think the anxiety that will be provoked and the emotions that could be released in heart-opening asana could cause a depressed or anxious person to see yoga as another source of stress instead of a safe and secure healing practice.

My next theory was that deep quiet meditative practices such as savasana should also be avoided because an anxious or depressed person’s mind, given free rein, will race with catastrophic worries. For these sufferers, their enemy is their mind. I thought perhaps a savasana with a teacher’s guided meditation would be far more healing and helpful in a yoga practice, perhaps allowing a person with these illnesses let go of their minds enough to follow a single objective thread of thought.

I was unable to find nearly anything either for or against this theory. However, in an article titled “Feel Happier” by Andrea Ferretti (www.yogajournal.com), senior Iyengar teacher Patricia Walden suggests depressed and/or anxious yoga practitioners keep their eyes open in savasana, since closing them can often intensify feelings of restlessness and anxiety. And in “Yoga for Depression: Part 1” by Timothy McCall, MD, the author says: “Some students have such a tendency to brood or get swept away with anxious or negative thoughts that asking them to close their eyes in savasana … may be counterproductive … (Patricia) Walden finds that propping students way up in savasana, even having them lean on an inclined bolster placed against the wall, can be helpful. She’ll often talk during savasana, turning it into more of a guided relaxation practice.”

I was happy to see that even though research is scant about this aspect of yoga for depression and anxiety, the few experts who do express an opinion agreed with me.

The last theory I had was that perhaps the most beneficial asanas for those suffering depression and anxiety would be grounding asana … asana that focus on feeling rooted and secure. I thought perhaps that poses suggested to balance the first chakra, muladhara chakra, would be most helpful. One of my yoga teachers, Jill Daley-Katz, says in almost every flow class that warrior poses ground us, and helps us to be in the present moment. So my thinking was that when a depressed or anxious person focuses on the present moment, there isn’t room for sadness and worry in that moment.

In “Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way,” Nancy Liebler, Ph.D., and Sandra Moss, M.S.P.H., say, “Mountain pose puts us in touch with our self confidence.” They also say, “Warrior pose infuses us with the strength to help us overcome fear.” Considering that fear and lack of self-confidence are strong manifestations of mental illness, it seems these grounding poses are beneficial.

In “Chakra Balancing,” Anodea Judith says that the first chakra, the root chakra, is concerned with physical identity and that its purpose is self preservation. And on the psychological level, it “is associated with the survival instinct and the will to live.” For those who suffer anxiety and/or depression, every day can feel like a struggle for survival, and so I believe that the poses Judith suggests for grounding, including my personal favorite, utkatasana (chair pose), would be very helpful.

“The Chakra Bible” by Patricia Mercier suggests warrior poses, triangle pose and eagle pose as good root-chakra balancers. I was surprised to see eagle pose included but it gave me an idea in planning a class for students with anxiety and depression: A series of strong grounding poses, and added to that, several balancing poses such as tree, flamingo and yes, eagle – because although they need to root their bodies and souls down to earth, I believe these particular students should also be reminded of the fluidity of life and how it’s safe and fun to take a few chances.

I appreciate the opportunity to have done this research, and I’m excited to plan and hopefully teach classes specifically designed to gently bring those with depression and anxiety into a place of confidence. If they can find that on the mat, then the natural next step is to bring it off the mat with them into their daily lives.

Jen Safrey is a novelist and freelance copy editor living south of Boston. She’s a first-degree black belt in taekwondo, and has been practicing yoga for the better part of 12 years. She now teaches hatha yoga at Xcel Taekwondo in Hanover, Mass., and plans to teach additional classes at other studios. She insists that yoga saved her sanity. Read her musings on writing and life at www.jensafrey.blogspot.com, or look for her on Facebook.