“A brilliant illumination of how the ancient wisdom of the yogic tradition can penetrate the often-intractable challenges of depression.”—Phil Catalfo, Yoga Journal Take the natural path to mental wellness. More than twenty-five million Americans are treated with antidepressants each year, at a cost in excess of $50 billion. But the side effects of popular prescription drugs may seem nearly as depressing as the symptoms they’re meant to treat. Veteran yoga instructor Amy Weintraub offers a better solution—one that taps the scientifically proven link between yoga and emotional well-being as well as the beauty of ancient approaches to inner peace. Addressing a range of diagnoses, including dysthymia, anxiety-based depression, and bipolar disorder, Yoga for Depression reveals why specific postures, breathing practices, and meditation techniques can ease suffering and release life’s traumas and losses. Weintraub also reflects on her own experience with severe depression, from which she recovered through immersing herself in a daily yoga routine. Yoga for Depression is the first yoga book devoted exclusively to the treatment of these debilitating conditions. Amy Weintraub will help readers see their suffering and themselves in a vibrant new light.

All you need to know about herbs, nutrients, and yoga for enhancing mental health. Many physicians and therapists agree that herbs and mind-body practices enhance health, but many more are reluctant to integrate them into their clinical work because of a lack of training or, given how long it takes to master the use of hundreds of different herbs, a lack of time. But the trend is clear: clients and consumers alike want control over their health care choices, making the time ripe for a practical resource that guides both the clinician and the consumer on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This book answers that call. Three noted experts in integrative medicine, Drs. Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin, demystify the complexities of alternative mental health care, giving readers a comprehensive yet accessible guidebook to the best treatment options out there. From mood, memory, and anxiety disorders to ADD, sexual enhancement issues, psychotic disorders, and substance abuse, every chapter covers a major diagnostic category. The authors then present a range of complementary and alternative treatments-including the use of herbs, nutrients, vitamins, nootropics, hormones, and mind-body practices- that they have found to be beneficial for various conditions within each category. For example, B complex vitamins and folate have been shown to help with depression; omega-3 fatty acids can offer relief for bipolar sufferers; coherent and resonant breathing techniques-used by Buddhist monks-induce healthy alpha rhythms in the brain to relieve anxiety; the elderly can boost their memory by taking the ancient medicinal herb Rhodiola rosea; and those with chronic fatigue syndrome can find comfort in acupuncture and yoga. Focusing on evidence-based approaches, the research, the authors' clinical experience, and the potential risks and benefits of each treatment are carefully examined. Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin have distilled an otherwise daunting field of treatment down to its basics: their overriding approach is to present the CAM methods that are most practical in a clinical setting, easy to administer, and low in side effects. With helpful summary tables at the end of each chapter, clinical pearls, and case vignettes interspersed throughout, this is a must-have resource for all clinicians and consumers who want the best that alternative medicine has to offer.

Yoga is a comprehensive mind-body practice that is particularly effective for self-regulation, mood management, fostering resilience, and promotion of wellbeing. Inherently, yoga is a system for improving mental health and alleviating suffering at the deepest levels. Consequently, yoga's potential as a key component of integrative and complementary mental health is now being recognized internationally. This book serves as a reference, but also as a bridge between yoga therapy and healthcare, helping to add to the process of growing integration. It provides a professional resource for mental health professionals interested in the potential for yoga interventions that facilitate the therapeutic process, and who want to learn ways in which yoga can catalyze and deepen this process across a broad spectrum of mental health approaches. Similarly for yoga professionals with a focus on mental health and wellbeing who want to expand their understanding of how yoga relates to mental health approaches and their knowledge of best practices. The format is designed for consistency and ease of reading. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the yogic viewpoint of mental health and wellbeing, and the psychological and neurological rationale for yoga's usage in mental health conditions. Each subsequent chapter is organized into a clinical overview of mental health conditions, followed by sections on current research and the rationale for incorporating yoga into the treatment of the condition, recommended yoga practices, and future directions.

This convenient handbook offers readers an innovative clinical approach using 100 different Kundalini Yoga meditation techniques that are specific for various psychiatric disorders.

Mental and Emotional Healing Through Yoga combines key research on the intersection of yoga and mental health with a client-centered, step-by-step framework that can be applied to a range of complex mental and emotional disorders. The book guides readers through the initial intake of the first client session and the development of subsequent sessions, providing case examples from the author’s practice to show how yoga’s mind-body connection facilitates recuperation and healing. While well-grounded in research and case studies, the book is also highly readable, making it accessible to professionals such as psychotherapists and yoga therapists, as well as individuals and families struggling with mental health issues.

While yoga was originally intended to be practiced for spiritual growth, there is an increasing interest in applying yoga in all areas of life. It is important to understand this ancient science and way of life through as many perspectives as possible (e.g., based on biomedical engineering). As its popularity and interest grows, more practitioners want to know about the proven physiological effects and uses in healthcare. The Handbook of Research on Evidence-Based Perspectives on the Psychophysiology of Yoga and Its Applications provides research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of yoga therapy and its physiological effects from diverse, evidence-based viewpoints. The book adds in-depth information regarding the (1) physiological effects of yoga; (2) neurobiological effects of yoga meditation; (3) psychological benefits related to yoga, such as mental wellbeing; (4) molecular changes associated with yoga practice; and (5) therapeutic applications (for lymphedema, mental health disorders, non-communicable diseases, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and trauma, among other conditions). Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as pain management, psychotherapy, and trauma treatment, this book is ideally designed for yoga practitioners, physicians, medical professionals, health experts, mental health professionals, therapists, counselors, psychologists, spiritual leaders, academicians, researchers, and students.

Based on cutting-edge NIH studies, a practical, accessible guide to yoga for reduction in stress, anxiety, and depression, with the goal of balanced emotional health. The Yoga Effect helps readers overcome the de-energizing effects of depression and move into a state of calm and focus. Based on the program developed through three NIH-funded studies at Boston University School of Medicine, these sequences are medically proven to trigger a physical and mental release of fear and worry. The book offers: A customizable prescription for maintaining centeredness, confidence, and balance Straightforward, accessible sequences, with 40 black & white photos clearly illustrating the poses A short, well-rounded practice that includes breath work and poses with clear explanation of how each sequence contributes to physical, mental, and emotional wellness Differing levels of practice for readers' varying levels of physical abilities Written with an MD, The Yoga Effect is a proven pathway for cultivating inner strength that can be accessed at any time, offering hope and a solution for anyone looking to transform their mental and emotional health.

Trauma Healing in the Yoga Zone describes an original model of "Nervous System Informed, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga," (NITYA), a synthesis of classical yoga, somatic psychotherapy, and neuroscience research. It is organized around the eight branches of Raja Yoga, and includes scripts for administering NITYA chair yoga postures, breathing practices, and yoga nidra (the yogic sleep). These can be used by helping professionals with all levels of familiarity with yoga. The book is needed for several reasons: for mental health professionals, it offers a comprehensive overview of yoga philosophy and practices, as well as yoga-based options for working with the client's embodied experience, a major element in trauma healing. For yoga professionals and practitioners, it provides insight into the natural integration of yoga with polyvagal theory and other current approaches in the field of somatic psychology. Both professions are currently being enriched by data from the field of neuropsychology that describes brain function, in real time, in various mental and emotional states. This data supports yoga's effectiveness in regulating the autonomic nervous system, a key to trauma recovery.

An integrative approach to healing anxiety, depression, and chronic stress through yoga and breathing exercises Emotional balance is within your reach—when you cultivate the intelligence of both your body and mind. Bo Forbes, a psychologist and yoga teacher, offers some of her most important teachings and practices, including: • Restorative yoga sequences designed to balance anxiety and lift depression • Breath and body-centered exercises to calm your mind and energize your body • Simple ways to understand your emotional patterns • 3 main obstacles to emotional well-being • 5 tools for building emotional balance Rooted in classical yoga yet supported by psychology and science, the techniques in this book will help you create progressive and lasting change.

Many of us face daily demands and overwhelming difficulties that cause seemingly uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear. When you feel this way, it's healing to calm yourself and to reclaim your sense of innate goodness and well-being. For centuries, yoga has offered a quiet retreat away from life's pressures and has enabled us to reconnect to our inner wisdom and peace. Regular yoga practice has been proven to calm stress, enhance concentration, and reduce the symptoms of anxiety. This book offers meditations, mindfulness practices, self-inquiry exercises, and yoga poses that soothe anxious feelings and develop mental clarity. Before long, you'll free yourself from the anxiety and fears that hold you back and learn to live with a more open heart and resilient mind. Just as yoga helps you feel more at home in your body, the mental and physical practices in Yoga for Anxiety help you increase your sense of contentment in life.