A True Story
When I was 16 years old, I started my first real job working as a cashier at a grocery store. And immediately thereafter I started throwing up almost every day.
My parents and doctor were quite concerned. They ran some tests, but could find nothing wrong. I had not developed an illness or an eating disorder; all I could say was that I was stressed about going to work.
At the end of the day, it was acute anxiety that was causing my body to react this way. Happily, within a matter of weeks I began to feel more confident at work and the vomiting disappeared.
Over the next decade, each time I encountered a new, big, life change such as my first job after college or my first serious relationship, my body would send up distress signals.
Each time this presented in a slightly different way: sometimes with fatigue and pain, sometimes with headaches or an irregular heart beat, and yes, often with nausea. But the strange thing to me was that I didn’t feel that anxious in my mind. Which is why my first step was always to go to a doctor, and not a therapist, because I just didn’t feel that anxious or depressed.
It took years of trial and error, many doctors, and good therapists to help me learn that this is how my body manifests anxiety.
One thing I did realize, even at the tender age of 16, was that yoga made me feel better. I had no idea why; I just knew that when I was taking a class I felt safe, calm, and at peace.
Fast forward 20+ years, through a career as a massage therapist, a regular student of yoga and meditation, and then becoming a yoga teacher myself, I know A LOT more about how the body and mind react to anxiety and depression and how these ancient healing arts help mitigate mental distress. I also learned that many people’s bodies react to stress, anxiety, and depression the way mine does, and it was a great comfort to know I wasn’t alone.
In fact, a growing body of research shows that our mental and physical health are much more closely linked than previously thought. From the discovery that 95% of our serotonin is manufactured in the GI tract, to the fact that chronic stress puts you at risk for heart disease, it is clear that mental health = physical health, and physical health = mental health.
And finally, the world of science and modern medicine has begun to give us answers about why and how yoga, massage, and meditation help heal anxiety and depression.
The Science of Yoga for Anxiety and Depression
Massage therapy and meditation have been studied as well, and have proven to provide the same neurotransmitter and hormone benefits.
Now, since I am a skeptical yogi who believes in science and evidence-based medicine, I want to note here that sometimes the research being done for yoga, massage, and meditation is criticized as not rigorously scientific enough. Most of the studies have been small, and due to the nature of yoga, it is hard to design a double-blind study because the researchers would know which participants were being taught yoga and which ones were in a control group.
However, each year more and more research is being done and the studies get larger and more controlled. One of my yoga teachers has been instrumental in helping structure multiple NIH-funded studies for yoga and depression at the Boston University School of Medicine. She has written a book describing the findings and protocols used, which you can find here.
For now, I will just say that even the skeptic in me is confident in saying that yoga, massage, and meditation reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. And they do this the same way that other relaxation techniques and physical movement help our mental health: by calming the nervous system down, by increasing the “positive” neurotransmitters and hormones, and reducing the “negative” ones. By switching the nervous system from a sympathetic stress response state to a parasympathetic relaxed state.
A Dangerous Trap
So, have two decades of practicing yoga and meditation and getting massages “cured” my anxiety?
Yes and no.
Which brings me to a very insidious and dangerous phrase circulating in the yoga world about anxiety and depression: “Skills not pills.”
“Skills not pills” means if you are just consistent enough in your yoga practice and a good enough student, you should not need medications or Western medicine’s help to treat anxiety and depression.
Needless to say, I was horrified when I first heard this phrase. Way to add more guilt and shame to an already struggling mind! As someone who has personally and professionally seen lives being saved or radically improved by antidepressants and therapy, I believe those of us in the alternative health profession must embrace a truly integrated approach to health and wellbeing.
Integrated Healthcare is the Best Care
Integrated healthcare means taking the best of what modern medicine has to offer and pairing it with the best that “alternative” or “complementary” techniques have to offer. Balance is key.
When we swing too far to one side or the other, in the form of drug addiction or the dogma of specific yoga teachers, that is when we run into trouble.
So, wherever you are on your path with anxiety or depression, know that it is ok.
Just because you need to take anti-anxiety medication doesn’t mean “the yoga isn’t working.”
Just because breathing techniques helped you so much you were able to stop going to therapy doesn’t mean you won’t need to go back in the future.
Whichever tools you are currently using, from self-massage to antidepressants, offer yourself gratitude and congratulations for being wise enough to reach for help when you felt helpless.
I believe that life is a wonderful, precious experience, and as a yoga teacher I am here to give you more tools to help you enjoy the ride.
Namaste
