It’s hard to say if depression was ever a rare affliction, but if it were, it certainly has ceased to be. Over 17 million people are diagnosed with clinical depression each year in the U.S. alone.  One such person was Amy Weintraub, author of Yoga for Depression, who 15 years ago was diagnosed with severe clinical depression. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you feel moody, down in the dumps, easily overwhelmed and overburdened? The natural solution to combat your blues could be as simple as getting more sleep. Read the rest of this entry »

Numerous studies indicate that exercise may be up to 95% as effective as prescription drugs for relieving depression. And while the effect of anti-depressants often takes months to kick in, people report relief from depression within only the first four weeks of adopting a physical activity program. However, a recent study reveals that yoga for depression may be even more effective at offering relief for depression than other forms of exercise. Read the rest of this entry »

Zoloft, Prozac, and many other infamous antidepressants have had thousands, if not millions of dollars funding research on their benefits. At the same time, what may be the world’s best depression treatment remains consistently under-tested and under-advertized, namely because there’s no company that stands make enough money off of it to support its promotion. Read the rest of this entry »

What if there were a way to treat depression that was as effective as our current medication, but instead of producing side effects like weight gain, fatigue, and insomnia, resulted in weight loss, increased vitality, and better sleep at night? Amazingly enough, preliminary studies indicate that such an alternative to drugs does exist—and it doesn’t even require a prescription.

According to a growing number of trials, exercise can provide up to over 95% of the mood-improvement that prescription drugs afford. This, of course, includes yoga. According to one recent study, yoga may be even more effective than other forms of exercise in helping people combat depression and anxiety. Think of it as  the new-and-improved Prozac! Read the rest of this entry »

Many people wonder what the difference is between yoga and yoga therapy, and which one is right for them. Here are the highlights of what yoga therapy is, what its benefits are, and how yoga therapy differs from traditional yoga asana classes.

Basically, yoga therapy uses the ancient science of yoga to enhance health and wellness at all levels of the person: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Yoga therapy focuses on the path of yoga as a healing journey that brings balance to all aspects of life through an experiential awakening of our essential nature. Yoga therapy is useful both for people who seek relief for specific health challenges, as well as for people who want to enjoy good health, prevent disease, and slow the progression of aging. Read the rest of this entry »