YOGATHERAPY

NATHALIE KELLY

Learning more aboutYoga Therapy & DepressionHOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A YOGA THERAPIST AND WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT?I’ve been teaching Yoga for thirty years, but Yoga Therapy for about twenty-five years. The word Yoga means union — it means to join together. So, a Yoga Therapist is a therapist who joins together different alternative therapies for the appropriate needs of the patient. Taking depression as an example, one would tend to look at Reflexology in order to help with the chemistry in the person. Plus, massage would be required to relieve any muscle stiffness in their neck and shoulders Also diet is extremely important, as some people can actually get depressed because they’re allergic to some foods that they eat. Even wheat can cause a very dull depression for some people, without them being physically aware of it.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PRACTISE YOGA THERAPY?I believe that your health is the most important thing in life, without that, however wealthy or famous you are, you won’t be as happy. I realised that straight-forward Allopathic medicine uses so many chemicals and they have so many side effects — not that I’m against drugs, they can be marvellous in helping people, but they should be the last resort, not the first. I wanted to learn ways of actually trying to keep myself healthy,and then when I did, I thought that I could pass this on to others.

HOW MANY TYPES OF DEPRESSION ARE THERE, AND HAVE YOU DEALT WITH ALL THE TYPES?I’ve dealt with various types of depression but not all of them. I’ve successfully dealt with clinical depression and post-natal depression with natural therapies. But, some types of depression can only be treated with drugs so sadly, not all types of depression will work with natural methods. You can even be chemically predisposed to depression if your family has a history of depression. The two main types of depression are recognised as endogenous, which arises for no reason apparent to the sufferer; and exogenous. Exogenous, otherwise known as reactive, arises from an obvious factor such as bereavement, divorce and many other reasobs. This represents an exaggerated response to the event in normal terms.

WHAT IS THE TYPICAL ORTHODOX TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION?Anti-depressants, Fluoxetine, but these have side effects. These can be great when they work, but when they don’t, they can have outrageous side effects. For example, they can increase suicidal tendencies for someone with depression, the doctor will have to weigh that up. If it gives someone suffering a better quality of life, a proper doctor will weigh up the risks. That’s why I think alternative therapies should be used first, and if they don’t work then we can be grateful to resort to the drugs. I would definitely advise a patient to use orthodox treatments if I couldn’t help them.

With Sonia Allen Wall

DEPRESSION HOTLINES:Support and

advice for people living with mental

illness.Phone:

0300 5000 927 (Mon-Fri, 10am-

2pm)Website: www.

rethink.org

DO DOCTORS TEND TO RECOMMEND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES?No, they’re not actually allowed to do so. They might subtly bring up the idea of alternative therapies, in such a way that they may say to their patient “Have you tried anything else?” which is essentially their way of mentioning it. Although I get recommended to teach Yoga to people, I think they can’t really recommend someone because of insurance. The person could potentially do something wrong to the patient, and then they’ll go back and blame the doctors.

YOU OFTEN HEAR ABOUT ANXIETY BEING LINKED WITH DEPRESSION, WHAT’S THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO?Well, if you’re a very anxious person, then usually your chemistry is Adrenal happy. Your nervous system is sending out fight-or-flight responses that are not appropriate. If you can’t deal with that, it can make you feel pretty depressed because if you’re anxious all the time, you’re essentially going to be miserable as you’re never at ease. Although what I call straight-forward depression tends to make you feel dull,

really, everyone should have a lot of life within them. sometimes you may not realise someone is depressed as you think they’re just a dull person. But

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS INFLUENCED DEPRESSION?There are more depressed people now, when we have more technology trying to help people live so-called “easier” lives, which has engendered more depression than ever before within ALL age groups. I believe we’re doing something wrong, I think there’s more depression because there’s more pressure on people to achieve more and to compete with one another for jobs, houses, even attention. There’s generally more stress in everyday living as it’s too fast. When everything is fast, it’s stressful. Stress can lead to depression, it can also lead to a nervous breakdown.

NATURAL MEDICINE: A wholefood diet would be an imperative of natural treatment, as junk

food is actually a stressful factor that can contribute to depression, alongside a stressful lifestyle with poor nutrition. Exercise, hydrotherapy and dietary

supplements would be prescribed as well as Vitamin B. Amino acid Tyrophan has also been used successfully to treat manic depression. Also useful is

Propolis tincture, 4-5 drops on a sugar lump to be taken 3-4 times a day.

ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES

HOMEPATHY: Useful for neurotic depression.

For emotional tearful depression in an irritable personaity, pragmatic rather

than intellectual, worse for sympathy: Natrum muriaticum. In a intellectual

person, who isn’t very emotional, but worried about the future:

Lycopodium.

ACUPUNTURE:This can be useful in cases

of neurotic depression.

EXERCISE THERAPY: Yoga; dance

therapy.

Psychotherapy: Analytic and supportive,

the former when the patient is capable of responding.

Spiritual Therapy:

Colour and music therapy; art therapy; electrocrystal

therapy; aurasoma.