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LifeForce Yoga® for
Depression
News & Research
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Issue: # 18 |
Spring/Summer 2008 |
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"Take your practiced powers
and stretch them out
until they span the chasm
between two contradictions..."
~Ranier Maria Rilke
Decisions, decisions! Do they produce anxiety
for You? Sometimes they do for me. Not making
a decision is always a decision in the long
run. On the other hand, sometimes we make a
sudden and impulsive move to allay the
discomfort of uncertainty. It may be a good
choice--or not. "A peacefulness follows any
decision, even the wrong one," says Rita Mae
Brown.
I have a new strategy for staying
present to that inner conflict and allowing
myself to bask in the discomfort, until it's
time to choose. It's a self-inquiry I've added
to my meditation, and it seems to be helping.
Decision Inquiry
First, I practice a breathing exercise like
bellows breath to clear the space.
Then I may do a bit of mantra chanting.
Next I'll ask that clarity and compassion
flow through me so that I can make the best
choice for all concerned.
Then I visualize a possible outcome of a
particular choice with as much detail as
possible. For me, it helps to write it out,
then visualize it.
I ask my body to respond to the images.
I notice what's happening with my breath.
When I finish this inquiry, I write down
what I noticed, and what I feel about what I
noticed. I stick to observations and
feelings about the visualization, not the
decision itself.
In my next meditative inquiry, I'll repeat
the process, visualizing an imagined scene
were I to make a different choice.
So far, I still haven't made up
my mind, but I'm more comfortable in the
unknowing!
May it be easy for you.
In addition to research, news, and calendar
highlights for the summer, Tucson Yoga
teacher and LifeForce Yoga Practitioner
Barbara Sherman reviews Elissa Cobb's book:
The Forgotten Body: A way of Knowing and
Understanding Self.
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ANNOUNCEMENT: LIFEFORCE
YOGA® PRACTITIONER TRAINING |
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There are 2 LifeForce Yoga®
Practitioner Level 1 Trainings scheduled for the
next year. Prerequisites for Certification: Yoga
Teachers (200 hr), Psychotherapists, Health
Professionals.
LifeForce Yoga Training for Anxiety and
Depression, Kripalu, Lenox, MA, July 6th
- 11th. Registration for this program
has begun,
click here, or call
800-741-7353.
This is a professional certification
training open to Yoga teachers,
psychotherapists, and other
health professionals. CEUs.
Tucson
LifeForce Yoga® Healing Retreat &
Training, January 17th - 23rd,
2009. Registration has begun,
click here. Early Bird Rates
and Discounts are available now.
This program is open to all yoga
practitioners, including beginners.
If participating in the training, health
professionals, psychotherapists, and
yoga teachers will have extended hours
and may receive certification. CEUs.
While you may come if you are working
with mood issues, the retreat is not
appropriate for those in the acute
phase of PTSD, major depression,
Bipolar I, or any other psychiatric
diagnosis. If you have any questions
about this, please write us.
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NEWS: LifeForce Yoga Mood Study Accepted
for Publication |
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The LifeForce Yoga
Mood Study, which measured participants' moods two
weeks, then two months after attending 4- or 5-day
LifeForce Yoga workshops and trainings, has been
accepted for publication by The International
Journal of Yoga Therapy. Participants learned
the LifeForce Yoga protocol at trainings in
Tucson, AZ, at Kripalu Center, Mount Madonna, and
the Omega Institute. Results show a significant
improvement in mood after two weeks of home practice
that was maintained two months later.
If you would like
to see a preview of the study, please write
investigator Shannon Bennett, MA, at
smbennet@bu.edu.
Harvard researcher Sat Bir
Singh Khalsa, PhD, was the lead investigator.
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NEWS: LIFEFORCE YOGA®
LEVEL 2 RELEASED |
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For those of you
wanting a more vigorous practice that includes the
meditative aspects of
LifeForce Yoga®, the new DVD is
now available. Amy guides mantra, mudra and
pranayama breathing throughout the asana practice
that is focused on self-awareness. Produced and
directed by the same award-winning team that brought
you the high production values in the Level 1
practice, the DVD was shot in Tucson, includes a
deeply restorative Yoga Nidra relaxation, and is an
hour and twenty-five minutes in length. The
video is divided into chapters, so the practices can
be viewed independently or together.
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RESEARCH: Brain Stimulation and
Depression - Yogic and Medical
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There is money to be
made from the 4 billion people who suffer from
depression, and companies are lining up to treat it
with a variety of surgical brain stimulating
techniques.
Following the vagus
nerve stimulation technology, developed by
Cyberonics that the FDA approved last year for the
treatment of major depression, there are a number of
brain stimulation strategies being tested, some of
which will likely come to market in the next few
years. Each company's strategy involves invasive
surgery and has side effects.
If you look
closely at the research, whether it's the St Jude
system of sending electric pulses through invasively
implanted electrodes in the
"Brodmann Area
25" of the brain, an area that researchers believe
is linked to severe depression
or Medtronic, which targets a different area of the
brain for electrical stimulation, or
Northstar
Neuroscience, which is testing a system that
stimulates the outer surface of the brain, or
cortex, only about half those tested responded. As
measured by the companies who are developing the
products, the shift in mood, after about six months
of treatment was 40 - 50% amongst the 56% that
responded.
Over several
millennia, yogis have perfected a non-invasive
technology, a brain stimulating treatment for
depression called "Skull Shining Breath."
(Kapalabhati). There's also solid evidence to
support "Sudharshan Kriya," a breathing practice
taught in the US by the Art of Living Foundation, as
a treatment for major depression, with a far better
outcome (67 - 73% improvement in mood) than the
expensive and invasive brain stimulating techniques
under development.
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CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS |
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In June, I'll be in California, teaching
"LifeForce Yoga: From Blues to Bliss" at
the Mount Madonna Center. I'll travel east
in July to teach the 5-day LifeForce Yoga
Practitioner Training (42 CEUs) at Kripalu
Center and a LifeForce Yoga Mood Management
Weekend at Omega Institute over the 4th of
July holiday weekend. In August, I'll make
my first visit to the Cape Cod Institute,
offering a professional seminar for the
mental health community called LifeForce
Yoga: Empower Your Clients to Manage their
Moods. Then, I'll return to the Boston area
to teach a one-day intensive at the
Arlington Center.
I feel happy to be visiting Hollyhock in
September for the first time. It
promises to be a beautiful retreat
center on an island in British Columbia.
Please join me in the light of Yoga at one
of these events!
For more information on a program, or to
register, click on the program title.
Mt. Madonna
Watsonville, CA (June 13 - 17, 2008)
LifeForce Yoga: From Blues to Bliss
Amy will help you
cultivate the compassionate inner space that
allows you to embrace life's challenges with a
peaceful mind and a courageous heart.
Omega Center
Rhinebeck, NY (Jul 4 -
6, 2008)
LifeForce Yoga® to Beat the Blues
Amy leads a weekend LifeForce Yoga®
retreat that will leave you feeling balanced
and revitalized.
Kripalu
Lenox, MA (Jul 6 -
11, 2008)
LifeForce Yoga® Practitioner Training
Level 1
In this professional training, learn to
help your students and clients focus,
relax, and manage their moods using
ancient yogic strategies. CEUs
Cape Cod Institute
Eastham, MA
(Aug 4 - 8, 2008)
LifeForce Yoga®: Empower Your
Clients to Manage Their Moods
Amy leads a course on using yogic
techniques in clinical settings.
CEUs
Arlington Center
Arlington,
MA (August 10, 2008)
LifeForce Yoga® Intensive to
Manage Your Mood
Amy will guide a practice of
emotion-regulating pranayama,
kriyas, and mantras,
mood-lifting meditations and
guided visualizations, and yoga
asanas suitable for all levels.
Hollyhock
Cortes
Island, BC CANADA (Sep 6 -
10, 2008)
LifeForce Yoga® for
Depression & Anxiety
Amy leads a 5 day retreat on
the southeastern beach of
Cortes Island where you will
learn yogic tools to help
you regulate your mood.
For Amy's
full teaching schedule, please visit
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BOOK REVIEW: The Forgotten Body: A Way
of Knowing and Understanding Self by Elissa
Cobb |
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By Barbara Sherman, RYT 500,
LFYP-1
 In
this elegant memoir-enhanced guide to
self-awareness, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy
co-director Elissa Cobb writes with clarity
about the wisdom of the body. She presents
convincing testimony that, "The body is an
essential, yet often forgotten, source of
knowledge..." Through journal entries,
she reveals moments of self-discovery in her
practice of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy.
Elissa surrounds personal experience with
anecdotal evidence from others, empowering
quotes, inspiring poetry and evidence from
scientific inquiry.
Science and poetry spiral around each other
as Elissa takes us into the world of
neuroscience. She informs us of the
"biochemical potential for thought
throughout the body," and expresses wonder
for the "sentience of cells". She connects
these contemporary investigations with the
ancient concept of samskaras and offers us a
poem from her journal about untying the
knots of tension in her body.
Elissa convincingly proclaims that cellular
memory "is the key to our
self-understanding." She maintains that
these deeply hidden memories have much to
teach us. Diving into her body, Elissa
faces and eventually embraces the painful
memories of her past. "The authentic self
that I am discovering, through experiencing
my body, is the subtlest part of me that is
never unconscious. It is the "part" of me
that is abiding wisdom..."
To help the reader understand the concepts
presented in her book, Elissa includes both
physical exercises and meditations. These
are simple yet profound. Her meditation on
imagining yourself as a droplet of water is
a breathtaking metaphor for demystifying
consciousness.
Reading this book is like being on a long
journey with the author. Her spirit is in
her words as if they, like cells, were
sentient beings reaching out on every page.
Just when I thought I was lost in a concept
too overwhelming, a sentence or phrase would
touch me deeply. Just when I got that itchy
feeling to skip ahead, a seed of truth would
appear and I found myself slowing down to
plant it.
More than memoir, this book is a tantalizing
look at cellular structure and the nature of
consciousness. It is a joyful, sometimes
frightening revelation of our potential for
jivan-mukti, becoming fully awake in this
lifetime, aware of our divinity as well as
our humanity.
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RESOURCES: LifeForce
Yoga® |
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2 Award-winning,
75-minute videos (DVD) practice,
led by Amy
Weintraub
· Programmable
Chapters
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Original
music
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Includes a
Study Guide booklet
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Shot
on-location in Tucson, AZ by Emmy-award winning
Director of Photography, Dan Duncan.
In both Level 1 &
Level 2 DVDs, Amy Weintraub, MFA, E-RYT 500,
author of the book Yoga for Depression
(Broadway Books), offers a comprehensive
sequence of breathing techniques, toning, and
postures to lift and balance the mood.
 LEVEL
1 -
In this
gentle, beginning, yet invigorating video yoga
practice, Amy invites practitioners into the
loving embrace of the Bodhisattva of Compassion,
Quan Yin, "she who hears the cries of the
world." In the sacred space Amy creates,
students begin to feel and safely experience
their bodies and their emotions. The practice
culminates with Yoga Nidra, or deep relaxation,
in which participants integrate the experience
and return to full wakefulness feeling refreshed
and rejuvenated.
***Winner of 4
Bronze Telly Awards***
Music by William
Chapman, Krishna Das, & MJ Bindu Delekta
LEVEL
2 -
Amy offers
modifications throughout this more challenging
sequence of postures. Here, Amy invokes the
energy of Shiva in his incarnation as the Fire
Dancer Nataraja, guiding viewers to stay present
to the sensations in their bodies, cultivating
self-awareness as they burn away what is no
longer serving them. The practice ends with an
invitation to allow the awakened prana to guide
the practitioner into her own flow of poses
before transitioning into Yoga Nidra.
Music by Master
Charles ~ Synchronicity & MJ Bindu Delekta
"A rare gem.
This is a DVD that I will enjoy, and continue to
learn from, for years to come."-Richard
Miller, PhD - President, Center of Timeless
Being; author,
Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga
"No matter
what your mood, Amy's unique LifeForce Yoga
program will bring you balance and joy. I loved
this practice!"-Lilias
Folan, PBS Host; author,
Lilias! Yoga
Gets Better with Age
"This is a
wonderful testament to self-acceptance, the
sentiment at the core of beating the blues."-LA
Yoga
For
more information or to order, please visit:
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RESOURCES |
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iREST YOGA NIDRA
Tools for deepening your awareness from the Center
of Timeless Being by Richard Miller, Ph.D.
www.nondual.com
Free Weekly Yoga Sutra of Pantajali with commentary
by Nischala Joy Devi
The author of "The Secret Power of Yoga" is offering
a free weekly, positive-heart felt Yoga Sutra of
Pantajali with commentary, via email.
www.AbundantWellBeing.com
McMan's Depression and Bipolar Weekly
In his excellent on-line newsletter, editor/writer
John McManamy reports on current research,
particularly related to pharmaceuticals. However, he
also keeps readers in the know about complementary
treatments, new books and other resources. You can
subscribe by emailing
mcman@mcmanweb.com.
www.mcmanweb.com
International Association of Yoga Therapists
This organization maintains a vast database of Yoga
research, a library, publishes a yearly journal, and
a tri annual newsletter with current research and
articles. In addition, IAYT maintains a searchable
online member database, which folks can use to
locate a Yoga therapist/teacher in their vicinity.
(They currently do not do any verification of
training and experience). If you are a health
professional, a Yoga teacher or therapist, or have
an interest in Yoga therapeutics, I encourage you to
become a member.
www.iayt.org
Have a Healthy Mind
Dr. Richard P. Brown and Dr.
Patricia L. Gerbarg offer integrative approaches for
mental health and brain function that include herbs,
nutrients, yoga, yogic breathing and meditation
based on their research and clinical experience as
psychiatrists and psycho-pharmacologists.
www.haveahealthymind.com |
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Thank you &
Blessings,
Amy
Weintraub,Founder
Rose Kress,
Program Manager
LifeForce Yoga®
Healing Institute
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