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Yoga for Depression: Healing Through Yoga
Healing Through Yoga: A Journey of Patience, Faith, and Commitment
In a recent study (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2017) assessing the effect of yoga classes on participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder, the practice reduced symptoms by at least 50 percent.
Dr. Chris Streeter, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, noted yoga’s clear advantage: avoiding the side effects from drug treatments. Prior studies using various forms of yoga for depression have consistently shown positive results. Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, explained that yoga's mechanism of action is similar to other exercises that activate 'feel-good' brain chemicals while reducing immune system chemicals that may worsen depression.
"The mechanism of action is similar to other exercise techniques that activate the release of 'feel good' brain chemicals … [and may] reduce immune system chemicals that can worsen depression.”
In his book ‘Light on Life’ (2006), Iyengar spoke of needing yoga to deal with mental woes;
“Many people have approached me over the years full of the woes that befell them because they did not respect this elementary precaution. Often they were ignorant about the need to build a solid foundation and had signed up for various courses in the hope of leaping into a facile spirituality. Their weakness of body and mind betrayed them and compounded their troubles. Patanjali himself warned that if the base is not firm, sorrow, despair, unsteadiness of body, and shakiness of breath will result. Mental depression and accompanying tremors are a serious matter. They are extreme, and in his third sutra on asana, Patanjali specifically said that asana practice will protect us from the dangers and vicissitudes of extremes”.
The Disappointment in the Search for Instant Healing
How often do people come to yoga looking for healing and leave feeling disappointed that it didn’t work? It’s akin to someone hitting the gym, expecting muscles to pop overnight, and then being discouraged when it doesn’t happen. Well, yoga does work—it has worked for countless others, and the science supports this. So why hasn’t it worked for you?
The truth is, sometimes we want healing almost immediately. We crave that immediate relief, expecting yoga to be a miracle pill for all that ails us. But healing isn’t about instant gratification—it’s about patience, faith, and showing up, even when you don’t feel like it.
It reminds me of something Idries Shah said about prayer, that it should be an act of love, not an expectation of reward. Yoga is the same. We practice yoga to move, to breathe, to be present—not for a guaranteed outcome, but because we trust the process. And yogically speaking, the very act of committing to heal is the first step. Everything else will fall into place when the time is right.
The Commitment to Trust
The ancient teachings remind us again and again that healing, like growth, isn’t linear. It’s not something you measure day by day. It unfolds over time, through perseverance and trust. That’s the difficult part. The world conditions us to want everything fast, but yoga teaches the opposite—slowness, stillness, and faith.
Healing Is Already Within
There’s nothing more to add. You already have everything within you. The commitment to the journey is all it takes to start. If you come to your mat every day, whether it’s with tears, joy, or frustration, yoga will do its part. Healing, in yoga, is not about eliminating pain instantly, but about learning to move with it, to breathe through it, and to cultivate resilience.
The yoga view on depression is interesting. Osho Rajneesh, although controversial, added invaluable commentary on the ancient yoga teachings. His articulate and logical mind helped people understand the vast poetic work that makes up the “ancient texts”. In his Book of Secrets (2010), Osho tells us to not battle with depression. But face it and move forward with life. He says we wont find solace in the form of pills and therapy, the only therapy is from within. Do not feel depressed about feeling depressed. He says “You are depressed, so remain with it”. Accept it and just move on with life. Don’t fight it and feel like something is wrong. Iyengar also tells us that we make our situations worse because we seek freedom but all we do is cling to bondage. He says we don’t allow life to take shape, we don't allow life to happen. “When we have done all that can be done, we are ready to face the future fearlessly, and we are able to handle whatever it may bring”.
We are all vulnerable humans who feel pain. There is nothing wrong. Acceptance is the first part. Then force a smile and continue with your life. The pain is in fighting for your mental health. The following is excerpted from the works of Osho Rajneesh; “You are depressed, so remain with it. Wait and watch. You cannot be depressed for long because in this world nothing is permanent. This world is a flux. This world cannot change its basic law for you so that you remain depressed forever. Nothing is here forever; everything is moving and changing. Existence is a river; it cannot stop for you, just for you, so that you remain depressed forever. It is moving, it has already moved. Feel depression, taste it deeply, live it. It is your fate. Then suddenly you will feel it has disappeared because the man who can accept even depression cannot be depressed”
In light on life, Iyengar talks about mental disturbances; “Through yoga we are able to lessen the six emotional disturbances that cause us so much anguish. They are called negative emotions by Western psychology”
Iyengar prescribes meditation and a few simple asana’s to help fight depression.
“Meditation (dhyana) is an essential part of yoga, and potentially there is dhyana in every aspect or petal of yoga. Each one requires a reflective or meditative mood. Meditation is related to the higher mental faculty for which one needs preparation. Learning asanas certainly helps. If I say, “Relax your brain,” you cannot do it. If I put you in a certain asana, your brain relaxes, and you become quiet. This is the beauty of yoga. If you do depression disappears, though you do not know how this transformation has occurred. This is how the body is used to cultivate the mind. When the suffering, depressed mind is cured, the light of the soul can itself radiate to the surface of our being”.
From a yogi to a late great comedian, it was Charlie Chaplin who famously said; “Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles."
Yoga is the same. It doesn’t promise that your depression or anxiety will vanish overnight. It asks you to show up, to be present, and to trust that in time, things will shift. Healing is a process that happens when you stop chasing it and start committing to it. Iyengar's advice to us is to focus on building a solid foundation. “When we have done all that can be done, we are ready to face the future fearlessly, and we are able to handle whatever it may bring.”
The video below isn't directly related to yoga but speaks to mood depression. If you or anyone you know has felt stuck or down, this might offer some insight.
Note: This isn’t a “cure,” just an interesting take that fits with many yogic views on the subject. As the presenter says, this video is focused on mood depression, not clinical depression.
By acknowledging that healing requires patience, commitment, and faith in the process, we empower ourselves to trust that everything will fall into place when the time is right. The body, mind, and spirit are interconnected, and yoga is here to guide you—not to deliver instant results, but to help you navigate life’s journey with strength, grace, and resilience.
Here's a story from Sufi tradition and a Zen tale that could resonate deeply with the message of healing, patience, and trust in the process of yoga.
The Sufi Story of the Water Bearer:
In a small village, a water bearer had two large pots that he used to carry water from the river to his master's house every day. One pot was perfect, while the other had a crack in it, causing water to leak out on the journey back.
For years, the water bearer delivered one and a half pots of water to his master's house. The cracked pot felt ashamed and was deeply unhappy about its imperfection. One day, it spoke to the water bearer at the river. "I am so sorry. Because of my flaw, I only deliver half the water, and I have failed you."
The water bearer smiled. "As we walk back to the master's house today, notice the path."
As they walked, the cracked pot saw something it had never noticed before: the side of the path where the crack leaked water was lined with beautiful flowers.
"Do you see?" the water bearer said. "I knew about your flaw, and so I planted seeds on your side of the path. Every day as we walk back, you water those seeds. Because of you, we have flowers for the master's table. Without your imperfection, this beauty wouldn’t exist."
The Value for Healing: This Sufi story beautifully illustrates the idea that imperfections are part of the process, and in healing—whether physically, mentally, or emotionally—we should embrace the journey, cracks and all. Just like the cracked pot, our perceived "failures" can still lead to beauty and growth if we trust the process and remain patient.
The Zen Story of the Empty Cup:
A well-known university professor visited a Zen master to learn about Zen. The master welcomed him and began serving tea. He poured the professor’s cup full and then kept pouring, even as it overflowed onto the table.
The professor watched the overflow until he couldn’t restrain himself. "Stop! The cup is full, no more will go in!"
The master smiled and said, "Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
The Value for Healing: In the context of yoga and healing, this Zen story reminds us that we often come to the mat or life itself with our minds full—full of expectations, frustrations, or impatience for results. To truly heal, we need to empty our "cups" and let go of those expectations. Healing happens when we surrender and allow the body and mind to work at their own pace, just as yoga requires us to release tension and attachment to outcomes.
Both stories reflect the core message of patience, acceptance, and trust in the healing process—whether through yoga or life’s own flow. These ancient lessons encourage us to stop looking for immediate rewards and instead focus on showing up fully, allowing everything to unfold in its own time.
Zahir Akram - Eternal Seeker
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