Can yoga help in the recovery from addiction and mental illness?

Hello samaredyys

[quote=samareddys;17426]Hi Crore,

am thankfull to u,
intresting is BNS iyenger speach and chakras.[/quote]

Indeed.

about these chakras I am learning them in SAHAJA YOGA, it works perfectly when a persons trust his effort with consious mind.
Very true. It is the will and intention that matters,not the pink bunnies you’re imagining flowing up and down the sushumna.

–> thats exactly right what you said , marked in BOLD , should be a place , teacher, yoga which should be with what am going through.
getting someone that actually cares is good.

-> can u explain more about somatic excercise series( hanna somatics), --: as you mentioned your one side got weakend, its the same that I was explaining you that , in my case also it happened,

I’d love to.This is a pet subject of mine at the moment,because of what it has done for me and continues to …

--------- this is explained very well in the YOGA of 7chakras and 3 lines(NADI`s, might be a other word) , so the left becomes weaker at first with NEGATIVE THINKINGS, and PAST(sadnes, grief and etc…, as per SAHAJA yoga) related.
nadi shodhana I would suggest done safely which to me means slowly and deeply----no forcing. the breath is a poweful thing and affects all systems. you are in effect regulating the respiratory and/or pranic systems.

my left side body gets much stress than right side , when explained about this to my doctors , they say that, this kind of things doesnt exist in SCIENCE.
healing is both an art and a science.if only some of these idiots,not all of them, were taught that in college. problem is they often don’t lok deeply enough, tight on resources and don’t allocate sufficient time and energy t each patient.

–> am not expecting much from YOGA or what am doing now but am expecting much to learn more(abt yoga, meditation and spiritual) in my life.
One can contemplate God through the breath. Good to hear you are xploring pranayama yoga to heal yourself.

I’d be happy to show you specific HANNA SOMATIC EXCERCISES to complement e very gentle and mindful pranayam practice. as it is a powerful tool. HS can teach one to work with least effort,as this is a founding principle.

when you experience Hanna Somatics, you will get the WOW feeling- that actually works—Blimey!!!, especially the first time you do it, just like hatha yoga.

i can give you plenty of guidance- you can read recent post on how to self-pandiculate most effectively, as my technqiue has changed a little after talking to another practitioner recently, as they all have slightly different approaches and empahases.

But Lesson2( the criscross & straight forward curl- for the withdrawal response- or red-light reflex- deals with fear and anxiety- & 3 of the Cat stretch -side-bending- the first 4 lessons are good for everyone. Don’t do it like most folk do it in a gym. Slowly,midfully with least amount of effort.
Then pandiculate, in your comfrot zoone, strongly enough to feel and sense themuslce but not too much so as to induce potential spasm ,at peak point of contraction.
Then relax the DELIBERATE contraction, and simulataneously that elicited also by the movment .Automatically lengthening and a drop in muscle tonus occurs.

Here is the theory and you can actually feel it----- you’ve just sent a signal to the brain and amplified a new sensory -motor circuit that unfortunately was in a dormant asleep state. Your brain has woken up.And you get that adjustment, in your skeleton, just by yourself.
Good eh?

Read some theory, then give it a try.

Do the movements normally. You don’t do them like folk practice excercises in a gym.YOu employ these 2 principles
a)Use the least amount of efffort( just self-pandiucalte( deliberate tightening further) at the peak phase of the movment before relaxation phase of contraction, elicited by movment )
B)Focus on the sensations or sensaory awareness of the movement

You are not strengthening anything- indeed quite the oppposite approach is involved. Also often when you try to lengthen a muscle through “stretching”, it just kicks back into place( myotatic reflex-i.e a signal is then sent to contract, as the fibers retract) That may be partly why I suspect follk feel tighter after stretching- Or might say i’ve been stretching my hamstings for a year and they’re still tightt. Nothing is done by yanking anything- you need to get at the root of the problem- the thing that keeps those muscles involuntary tight-i.e the brain-
Master-control-centre for the body.

In my opinion ( based on conculsions i’ve come to, and after having researched these issues somewhat))alot of postural/ body-distortion/musculskeletal problems don’t generally stem from the muscles being too weak,( although not saying strengthening might not also be benefiical too or and/or good)and so therfore the usual old-school prescription of more strengthening and strengthening apporach i believe is misguided( indeed it can makematters worse by contributinig to cement bad posture by tightening the muscles yet further, typpically through concentric contraction, though one could also say excess agression/force,lack of mindfulness etc )Tight muscles results in bad coordination( or feeling a prisoner within your own body- not a nic experience at all!!) , or imbalance, therfore poor integration, so pain and discomfort result. Some schools of mindful yoga are closer to hanna somatics -that’s partly why much yoga out there is largly inappropriate to folk with poor posture, acertain degree of imbalance or in recovery. Half of a strength is i’m led to believe found through coordinaition. There was a champion wieghtlifter who was’nt big, but he hammered his opponents and lifted ina different league because he was flexible, Iie could put his whole body into the job…

you can read the science- which is grounded in solid neurophysiology

then try the practice- i could say more but unless you actually try it out ofr yourself, just like yoga, the power of the practice is somehow lost for anyone reading this with muscolskeletal problems.

not enough folk know about it - that is why i advertise it. but then folk don;t like to have to work for things in life. we all want the easy route to becoming enlightened or healing or just a meal or whatever.

a little application and faith goes along way.

The movments will feel exotic and awakward at first, but once learned, along with effective self-pandiculation you have a program, that like hatha yoga will indeed halt the aging process, as Dr. hanna puts it.

also hANNA sOMATICS quite conveniently puts you into the parasymapthetic nervous system state, which i hear is conducive to healing.

most of the movments are done lying on your back,knees up,(there are some on your front or standing)- you are, in effect, working without the effects of gravity pulling you this way or that. you are in effect re-porgramming your braiin to release muscle tension mainly through the avenue of sensory awareness

You will notice that your sensory awareness of previously tight muscle improves dramtically-your brain had forgotten abou them.

So folk with tight muscles therefore have poor sensory awareness of them…You are trying to amplify that signal,then win back control from the sub-cortical relflexes that keep the muscle permanently and involuntarily tight, and so sensory-motor control of your body is handed back you.YOu inhabit your body ,like a child ,with greater freedom, comfort andease.

[B]~If you can sense it and feel it, you can change it"~[/B]
Thomas Hanna

pranayama can ease the mind, if done properly and Hanna Somatic is very safe. If yo do occasion spasmin a muscle, just work with less effort.,slowly,.in a leisurely way,…just like a cat stretching. After a whle you’ll enjoy the sensations the movements produce.

This is certainly worth learning, with a little patience ,application and practice, and will CURE many people out there.

You can alwys PM me if you really need more clarification on
1)how to self-pandiculate
2)the movments to do

I have been informed that Thomas Hanna’s very own ‘Myth of Aging series- aka The cat Stretch’ is very good .You can get it here

http://www.somaticsed.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?specific=itemno&phrase=700_CS&cart_id=$cart_id

I got my audio programs from somatics.com the guy that owns that site is a practitoner, and a rather good one at that too.

Okay it costs some money- but if you SUFFER from being tight one one side of the body, as I have, you might be surpised that it actually does work!!!


pranayama is of course another subject(i prefer to keep separate, for now at least).- I heard this saying when you are breathing -youare breathing God in and out…

Thanks for posting!!!

Yoga has helped me to deal with anxiety based depression/ bipolar disorder. Best wishes to you and your recovery!

Hi NicciNJ!

thanks for the recomandation, can please tell me, have u used psychiatric medication for that before starting YOGA or after?
2, what kind of YOGA, been through? whts the special recomandation for me? can u come again with more recomandations, I have expalined about my YOGA on above posts.

thanks

!!Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hi !!!

[QUOTE=samareddys;17509]Hi NicciNJ!

thanks for the recomandation, can please tell me, have u used psychiatric medication for that before starting YOGA or after?
2, what kind of YOGA, been through? whts the special recomandation for me? can u come again with more recomandations, I have expalined about my YOGA on above posts.

thanks

!!Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hi !!![/QUOTE]

To answer your questions:

I have taken several different antidepressants and one antipsychotic over the past 16 or so years. I found that meds were a great solution for some time but I wanted to take on my illness, face to face.

I started doing yoga in 1996 but not consistently. In the summer of 2008, I started a serious commitment to my practice of Yoga and to myself by practicing every single day–even while on vacation.

As of January of this year, I am meds-free! I am not symptom-free, however, but my symptoms are so minor compared to when I was doing Yoga inconsistently or not at all. Nowadays, when I feel the symptoms coming on, I simply remember to breath and really focus on the breathe, if I am in public and cannot do asanas. As soon as I can, I get myself to class and do asanas. I find that doing asanas with other students and a teacher to be more effective for [U]my[/U] recovery because when I am symptomatic I tend to isolate myself from others.

I started my practice with Hatha Yoga but found Vinyasa, Iyengar and Power Yoga to be more effective. The challenge drifts my focus from symptoms to empowerment.

All the best toward your recovery!

My friend addiction and mental illness are totally separate things. Of course you can be free of addiction through the use of yoga, just as you can by whole heartedly giving yourself to Jesus through baptism in a fundamentalist church. But, I emphasize, no, NO you do not overcome mental illness by any form of spirituality. Mental illness is a permanant condition (we are talking of schizophrenic illnesses and bi-polar, NOT adhd, post pardem depression or other less serious mental anguishes). You DO NOT overcome mental illness by yoga or by the Holy Ghost of Pentacostal faith or anything else. This is important to understand because it is a misnomer to consider yoga a panacea, a cure-all.

[QUOTE=Goldeneye;17542]But, I emphasize, no, NO you do not overcome mental illness by any form of spirituality. Mental illness is a permanant condition (we are talking of schizophrenic illnesses and bi-polar, NOT adhd, post pardem depression or other less serious mental anguishes). You DO NOT overcome mental illness by yoga or by the Holy Ghost of Pentacostal faith or anything else. This is important to understand because it is a misnomer to consider yoga a panacea, a cure-all.[/QUOTE]

Please share your firsthand experience with yoga and mental illness a bit more in-depth so that I know we are on the same page.

Also, how can you say that PostPartum Depression (PPD) is a “less serious mental anguish?” I am highly offended by your statement regarding PPD. Please tell me more about your experiences with PPD to back up that it is “less serious.” I can assure you as a proud survivor and active advocate that PPD is extremely serious and has been scientifically as well as statistically proven to be. Just look at the suicide rate as a result of PPD.

Further, I never said that yoga alone cured me. It was undoubtedly an amazing supplement to the doctors and meds I also relied on for the past 18 years. To say I am cured would mean that I am asymptomatic, which I am not. Through yoga, I have found means to alleviate my symptoms and control thoughts that I couldn’t have otherwise.

Nobody is saying that yoga is a cure-all.

Nicci, I’m fairly certain Goldeneye is not trying to diminish the severity of PPD. The other mental illnesses he mentions are, for lack of a better term, incurable. PPD and many other forms of depression are manageable or controllable. Sorry to use such a poor term, but its all that is coming to mind.

Also I think our friend Goldeneye was responding more to the OP than to you so please do not feel offended here.

Yes, I agree that the O.P.'s wording can be misleading and probably should be addressed for clarity. Nobody “Comes Out” of addiction or illness by doing asanas or spirituality alone. Addiction and mental illness [U]are[/U] different but also the same in a sense. Addiction generally is considered a mental illness (serious) just as PPD is a mental illness (also serious). Recovery from any of these and more requires full commitment from as many resources one can possible acquire.

I pray for the O.P. and his commitment to recovery.

[QUOTE=Alix;17546]Nicci, I’m fairly certain Goldeneye is not trying to diminish the severity of PPD. The other mental illnesses he mentions are, for lack of a better term, incurable. PPD and many other forms of depression are manageable or controllable. Sorry to use such a poor term, but its all that is coming to mind.

Also I think our friend Goldeneye was responding more to the OP than to you so please do not feel offended here.
[/QUOTE]

Very well put Alix because i have no time or sympathy for Nicci. I will go farther and say schizophrenia is a far more serious mental illness than ppd. My experience is not your business. But, let me just make this clear, so all deluded yogis can understand: mental illness is not the result of the kundalini going up the wrong channel; it is not the result of bad karma; it is not to be overcome by meditation so that you can get off medication; rather, if you have schizophrenia or bi-polar mental illness you will be required to take medication for the rest of your life. [B][I]Never listen to yogis, gurus, televangelists or anyone else who tell you that you shouldn’t be sick or that you can go without medication. Thank you.[/I][/B]

Yoga can deifinitley address illnesses of the mind, body & spirit, help in the recovery from, and integrate all 3 together better.Most things are in the mind anyway.

Yes, you are doomed if you don’t believe recovery is possible and therefore take the necessary steps. Congratulatiosn to Yoganandham for making those initial steps by considering moving away from medication appraoch to that of yoga, as expressed in those v helpful posts.The promise of complete recovery and eventual self-healing draws ever closer.

We hear that a few of the obstacles to making progress in yoga include doubt and ilness. And this is very beautifully illustrated here.

Doing appopriate yoga with experienced teacher will bring the quickest and surest results.

Many issues can originate in the mind, if not manfiest there too. Yoga teaches a great deal in this regard.

Hi Goldeneye,! nice to hear from u,

[QUOTE=Goldeneye;17542] Of course you can be free of addiction through the use of yoga, just as you can by whole heartedly giving yourself to Jesus through baptism in a fundamentalist church. But, I emphasize, no, NO you do not overcome mental illness by any form of spirituality. Mental illness is a permanant condition (we are talking of schizophrenic illnesses and bi-polar, NOT adhd, post pardem depression or other less serious mental anguishes). You DO NOT overcome mental illness by yoga or by the Holy Ghost of Pentacostal faith or anything else. This is important to understand because it is a misnomer to consider yoga a panacea, a cure-all.[/QUOTE]

nhow, 1, have you been through YOGA or your expressing about it becouse you know about the drug adiction or psychitric medication?

2, Have you been treated your the mental illness by whole heartedly giving yourself to Jesus through baptism in a fundamentalist church? or any of your`s treated so? if not how can your statement needed here?

3, Your third statements says that cannot be overcome mental illness by YOGA means you want show a SECONDARY way to treate this? or you stated it becouse you know about YOGA? or your tried for yourself?, am asking you this becouse , as per my knowledge and my experiance YOGA can be understood well by who do it.

4, You stated a other one that , YOGA is not for all, I dont think I was asking this GROUP members for, wether YOGA is for all? when my question is not for such one then why your this statement needed here?

am sorry for asking you more but I hope you have more in your side.

!!! Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hii !!!

[QUOTE=core789;17598]Yoga can deifinitley address illnesses of the mind, body & spirit, help in the recovery from, and integrate all 3 together better.Most things are in the mind anyway.

Yes, you are doomed if you don’t believe recovery is possible and therefore take the necessary steps. Congratulatiosn to Yoganandham for making those initial steps by considering moving away from medication appraoch to that of yoga, as expressed in those v helpful posts.The promise of complete recovery and eventual self-healing draws ever closer.

We hear that a few of the obstacles to making progress in yoga include doubt and ilness. And this is very beautifully illustrated here.

Doing appopriate yoga with experienced teacher will bring the quickest and surest results.

Many issues can originate in the mind, if not manfiest there too. Yoga teaches a great deal in this regard.[/QUOTE]

am Happy to share that I am with some information of Pathanjali Yoga(divya yoga) of which I was doing the Pranayama. its adress and timings with transportation.

its related to my YOGA and Hoping the best becouse its main centre of Pathanjali in Haridwar, uttarkhand, India.

!! Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hi !!!

Hi YOGANANDHAM,

I attended one of their classes. And based on the pranayama too mainly. inspired by baba ramdev , and a good organisation too with high ideals. yes.

mainly indians,hindus and sikhs and older folk in attendance.

thanks for SHARING , and keeping me/us informed.

You are an inspiration to us all, Y.

just looked up wikipedia for the locations of these places.interesting!! have just been to india once in 1993 by myself when i was 19,as a backpacker touring the himalayas-kashmir, nepal, himachal uttar pradesh, dhramshala, mcleodganj, delhi,kathmandu,pokhara etc-what a fantastic time & an eye-opener
but it would be nice to return sometime in the not too distant future . this time learn more yoga, thx

Enjoy reading the posts you share here vey much.thx


Here’s a a tip-When you do the pranayama- keep the breath( generally, speaking) slow deep and relaxed. like breath awareness, nadi shodhana,anuloma viloma etc

-Also try to breath into the belly(more than say tthe chest,belly rising on the inhale etc, this is more relaxed deeper breathing) ,and keep your focus on the breath.

You may find a stillness in your breath, (as well asbeing a conduit for prana/energy regulation))

Hi Crore789!
thaks for sharing your experiance, yea thats correct, actually breath need to be taken slowly, generally with concentrating on it, but I did it a bit fast in my first month later made doubt to my master so he letted me to adjust to slow.

ok, taking breath into Belly? u mean in Bhastrika pranayama? anulom belom? or rest…
I take breath in chest in Bhastrika Pranayama, it comes(sent to chest) after entering in to belly.(I hope I learn a good YOGA in those clases which am going to take).

!!! Om shanti Shanti Shanti Hi !!!

If you do yoga regularly it will most definitely cure addiction, I know that for sure. I believe it can also cure mental illness, or improve it.

I would reccomend taking a course offered by the Sivanada ashrams called the yoga of recovery. It addressed how yoga, ayurveda and the 12 step process is used in dealing with addictions and other dependancies. I know the course is offered in grass valley, canada, and new york but im not sure if there ashrams in india have it.

[QUOTE=YOGANANDHAM;17246]Hi IneerAtlet,

Can please suggest me for some ashrams in India, I have abituated to psychiatric medcation So wanna come out(take treatement) with NATURAL way(effort).
thanks you very much for your concern on this issue,

really greate information and greate advice of yours,

!!! Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hi!!![/QUOTE]

Hi Yoganandham,

You may also try Yoga Vidya Dham in Nasik. I believe their teachings are inspired by Bihar School of Yoga.

Yoga Vidya Dham is a Gurukul (University) which imparts Yoga training to students and those aspiring to be yoga teachers. Yoga Vidya Dham is a Research Institute affiliated with University of Pune since 1992. - “Taken from their website”

Namaste

Mental Illness?
If it is depression, we have first to come out of it through western medicine, then yoga/pranayama, meditation, life-style change all help.
Why is this? because when we are depressed we don’t want to exercise
at all.
Let’s put it some other way if you are depressed and able to do asana/pranayama/meditatikon while taking western medicine, you are on your way to recovery. Obviously those disciplines have to be in the proper amount/
frequency for you.
So, at some point you will realize that you don’t need western medicine anymore.

YOGANANDHAM,

You shouldn’t practice advanced pranayamas like bastrika or kapalbhati in your beginnings… First you have to strengthen muscles attached to your lungs, you have to slowly “build” your kumbaka, you have to prepare yourself for pranayama in a higher sense. In contrary case, you would be jeopardizing, your health would be under risk.

Practice Anuloma Viloma Pranayama. You can do it safely without guidance.
First start without kumbaka, eventually keep increasing the duration of inhalation and exhalation as you feel comfortable. Then add kumbaka and practice on low ratios and go increasing comfortably week by week, or months, or years if needed, never strain your capacity: 1:2:2, 2:4:4, 4:8:8, 4:12:8, 4:16:8… and so on, until you arrive to 16:48:32 (it might take veeeery long, i haven’t achieved it yet after fiver years and half).
That’s how i started, plus asanas and a morning meditation.

It’s very important to bear in mind that one does not have to overstrain. Faulty pranayama can lead to disease, either physical or mental.
Another thing to bear in mind is one’s prakruti (doshic constitution, see ayurveda). Looks like some pranayamas are not suit for every body.

Need a GOOD book about prana and pranayama? Buy this one: http://www.amazon.com/Prana-Pranayama-Vidya-Niranjanananda-Swami/dp/8185787840

Hope it helped.

Namaskar!