Using exercise and yoga to get rid of depression

Over the past two years, many studies have indicated that exercise can help people overcome depression, for many reasons.

For example, as highlighted in this about.com expert article, becoming fitter will improve your self-esteem, and as we have already seen, low self-esteem is an ever present symptom of depression. In addition, it can help you to shed weight (which may be something that will also help your self-esteem), it will give you an outlet for channeling your irritability and aggression in a positive and energizing way, and exercise also helps you to sleep better.

As the article highlights, it may not appear to be that easy to take up exercise when you are lethargic and forever tired as a side effect of being depressed, but it is not necessary to aim to be an Olympic athlete in the space of a week.

You can start off as slowly as you like and as long as you set realistic and achievable goals, you should start to enjoy a feeling of achievement very soon. If you can find other people to exercise with, it can also help you to break out of the dull routine of your everyday life and to take your social life back at the same time.

It is also believed that regular exercise releases natural chemicals in the brain that make you feel better, and so there are many ways that exercise can help you break out of the vicious circle of depression.

In a similar way, practicing yoga can also help you to take your life back. By combining meditation, deep breathing and yoga poses, you can attack one of the primary root causes of depression, which is the feeling that you are not in control of your life.

Consequently, if a more strenuous exercise routine is not your cup of tea, try a program of 20 minutes of meditation (there are many different types of medication, many of which you will find described in detail on this site), followed by 30 minutes of practicing the five yoga asanas described on these pages.

Practicing yoga is not a replacement for other forms of depression treatment, but it can nevertheless help you to relax and focus on the positive aspects of your life which all too often get lost in the humdrum of routine daily existence.