yoga and depression
So, I am currently dealing with depression.
I have not been diagnosed with anything, just dealing with it as what appears to be my current default state of being. I know that part of this is brought on by various problems with looking for employment, finishing my master's thesis, moving away from a student role and into a new stage of my life, and overall money issues. That said, I also know that when I am more active, I feel better - whether through yoga, running, or other types of exercise. I know that I need to make an appointment with my therapist to help me deal with some of these life changes and implementing a more conscious and healthy routine, but I have found myself putting it off for monetary reasons.
My current goal is to develop my own home yoga practice, since classes tend to cost money. I purchased a book in August written by Rodney Yee and Nina Zolotow called Moving Toward Balance: 8 Weeks Of Yoga With Rodney Yee. I managed to work through the process of the first week from the end of August to the beginning of November. Seeing as it took me such a long time to get through this, mostly due to my own resistance to change and lack of discipline, I have decided that I need to track my progress on my LJ account in order to hold myself "accountable".
Week 1 - standing poses --> according to the book these poses are energizing, encouraging vibrancy and vitality. When I was able to motivate myself to begin my daily practice (not always daily, but an attempt was made for awhile) I found that I did feel better and more energized. I did work through each day, but skimped a bit on the Day 6 meditation (it was a bit on the short side, but I did engage in meditating).
Part of the reason that I neglected my yoga practice during this first series was due to the need to finish writing my thesis. Looking back at this period, a more consistent yoga practice may have allowed me to have an easier time with finishing the thesis. As I neglected myself and my yoga practice, I found other distractions from thesis writing and found the end of my writing experience to be extremely frustrating. Note to self for future reference: Make time for yoga; the time you take for a daily yoga practice can be taken away from all of those things I end up doing to distract myself from the issues of everyday life. Making this time for yoga will help my health and wellbeing, while indulging in my other distractions and poor sleep hygiene will just lead to more headaches and lethargy.
Week 2 - not yet begun, but I did read the first few pages of this book chapter. Instead, I did a moon practice this morning utilizing a few restorative poses, a forward bend series, and a few light backbends. I feel a lot better than I have in awhile :D. I am still tired and lethargic, and my default depressive state is certainly still in place, but this is the beginning of changing that default. Next step on today's agenda - eat lunch and walk in the parkway.
That's all for today!
I have not been diagnosed with anything, just dealing with it as what appears to be my current default state of being. I know that part of this is brought on by various problems with looking for employment, finishing my master's thesis, moving away from a student role and into a new stage of my life, and overall money issues. That said, I also know that when I am more active, I feel better - whether through yoga, running, or other types of exercise. I know that I need to make an appointment with my therapist to help me deal with some of these life changes and implementing a more conscious and healthy routine, but I have found myself putting it off for monetary reasons.
My current goal is to develop my own home yoga practice, since classes tend to cost money. I purchased a book in August written by Rodney Yee and Nina Zolotow called Moving Toward Balance: 8 Weeks Of Yoga With Rodney Yee. I managed to work through the process of the first week from the end of August to the beginning of November. Seeing as it took me such a long time to get through this, mostly due to my own resistance to change and lack of discipline, I have decided that I need to track my progress on my LJ account in order to hold myself "accountable".
Week 1 - standing poses --> according to the book these poses are energizing, encouraging vibrancy and vitality. When I was able to motivate myself to begin my daily practice (not always daily, but an attempt was made for awhile) I found that I did feel better and more energized. I did work through each day, but skimped a bit on the Day 6 meditation (it was a bit on the short side, but I did engage in meditating).
Part of the reason that I neglected my yoga practice during this first series was due to the need to finish writing my thesis. Looking back at this period, a more consistent yoga practice may have allowed me to have an easier time with finishing the thesis. As I neglected myself and my yoga practice, I found other distractions from thesis writing and found the end of my writing experience to be extremely frustrating. Note to self for future reference: Make time for yoga; the time you take for a daily yoga practice can be taken away from all of those things I end up doing to distract myself from the issues of everyday life. Making this time for yoga will help my health and wellbeing, while indulging in my other distractions and poor sleep hygiene will just lead to more headaches and lethargy.
Week 2 - not yet begun, but I did read the first few pages of this book chapter. Instead, I did a moon practice this morning utilizing a few restorative poses, a forward bend series, and a few light backbends. I feel a lot better than I have in awhile :D. I am still tired and lethargic, and my default depressive state is certainly still in place, but this is the beginning of changing that default. Next step on today's agenda - eat lunch and walk in the parkway.
That's all for today!