You must be mad….
Pull yourself together…
Others have it worse…
You don’t know how lucky you are…
Perhaps you’ve heard one or all of the above before and you really wish that you could ‘just snap out of it’ but for someone who hasn’t been through mental illness, it’s so tricky trying to explain what it’s about.
Tomorrow sees the start of Mental Health Awareness week and although society has made some progress it has also taken a turn for the worse in other ways. Even up to today I heard on the radio about how students are committing suicide more than ever due to the pressure that they are facing.
Online bullying is increasing and as much as I love Facebook, I sure am glad that it wasn’t around when I was in school. School was tough as it was.
So why am I writing about this on a yoga blog? I find that when I’m going through times of stress it’s a reminder for me to get back to my mat as soon as I possibly can. It’s time to breathe and flow through asanas that help to heal my body.
I love sharing these asanas with others and as a yoga teacher sometimes I see the effects that anxiety has on a students body. Yoga is one of the ways that people can find some relief from anxiety and depression. Not just by practicing yoga but also through attending classes and becoming part of a community where you can get to know other people.
One of the things I love most about teaching is when I see a full class of people from different backgrounds with one aim in mind to practice yoga and to learn more from the practice. By coming to class they are able to get in touch with how their body works, heal their body and hopefully meet others with common interests.
If you have been too shy to try out a yoga class, ask around or even post in the comments below.
If you have been feeling too depressed to move then one step at a time and one asana at a time. It all comes back to the breath.
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