Yoga teachers often struggle with methods for helping their students deal with a variety of ailments. Depression is serious, and is one of many ailments, but much like stress, it can be the “root cause” of many more problems. So, let’s look at ten ways to turn a Yoga student’s life away from depression.

Obviously, severe cases of depression really need professional counseling. Therefore, it is advisable to point some Yoga students in that direction, but all of us have our “dark moments,” so these are solutions for milder cases of depression.

Meditate using Visualization or Affirmation: When you teach Yoga classes, always encourage your students to be self sufficient in their meditation practice. Some Yoga teachers have preferred methods of meditation, but visualization and affirmation are easy methods for all Yoga students to learn and master.

Yoga students should learn to envision something that gives them deep gratification and causes no harm to anyone. Often this is something very easy for them to visualize. It could be a loved one, a vacation spot, or an accomplished goal. Within this practice, the Yoga student learns to accomplish his or her vision.

Affirmation is a method that any Yoga teacher can learn to guide. This builds self-esteem and creates positive energy. There are many affirmations CD’s to choose from; and we carry them in the pro-shop for Yoga students to work with at home. These two methods create constructive use of solo time, and depression will be purged from the mind, body, and spirit.

Relaxation Techniques: Teach your Yoga students a variety of relaxation methods. We are all familiar with stage-by-stage relaxation techniques, but there are many more methods to teach. There are also self hypnosis CD’s that cover guided relaxation methods. These are great for bedtime or quiet time.

Walking Time: Many of us might prefer to do Sun Salutations, but Yoga students can benefit from a walk, just like anyone else. This could be at any part of the day; before work, at lunch, after work, and weekends will help. The fresh air is a needed break from daily drudgery. Strategic use of walking to break up the day has extraordinary health benefits.

Sleeping Patterns: Getting to bed earlier will help Yoga students, or anyone else, get the optimum amount of sleep needed. This will also give them a positive start on the following day. Yoga students that start the day earlier will have time for all of the above-mentioned solutions or have time to see the sun rise.

Sun Salutations, and meditation, on the following morning, after a good night’s sleep, will definitely keep depression “at bay.” Yoga students who start with these methods will positively charge themselves and feel the strength of self-empowerment.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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As you know, anyone can feel a little depressed now and then - Yoga students are no different. Here are four more methods to help Yoga students with mild forms of depression.

Get away from being self-centered: There is no reason to isolate ourselves; we are interconnected with all things, people, nature, the universe, and God. We need to be in harmony with our life and everything we come into contact with.

Accomplish what you can in a day and sleep on the rest. The universe will still keep running after our lives are up, so let the universe worry about it. Stop thinking in terms of “I” and you will have much less burdens to carry around.

Set Goals: Life would not mean much without goals, so write them down and go after them. These should be “heart felt” goals that are morally sound and yield gratification. This one solution stops many Yoga practitioners from feeling depression most of the time.

Appreciate the little things: Look at what you already have and do not worry about what you don’t have. A rich man who worries about what he does not have is living in self-created poverty. His wealth could be put to something useful, but he dwells on protecting his assets and worries about acquisitions.

What a shame this is, but it is not an isolated case. The rich struggle to find love, real friends, and rewarding relationships. So, “be careful what you wish for.”

Food: The irony is that food sustains life and can also cause death. One of my teachers pointed this fact out to me, when I was about nine years of age. My reaction was amazement, at first, but then reality settled in. Most people are in denial about food, and this is obvious by the obesity around us. Our waistline has to be monitored, constantly, throughout adulthood.

To keep it simple, Yoga students should adhere to a sattvic diet. Put limits on caffeine, alcohol, and sugars. There are times when most of us fall short, but still maintain awareness about what you eat and drink.

Of course, water should be consumed in fair quantities at all times. Eight glasses per day of quality water will aid your skin, digestion, elimination, muscles, vital organs and more. Water consumption will also give your skin a youthful appearance. Isn’t this also why we practice Yoga?

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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Put Ideas into Action: Procrastination in, and of itself, can cause many poor outcomes. Setting goals, and writing them down, was discussed earlier, but those steps are worthless without putting your plans into action.

The “dreamer” who comes up with a great idea, and watches someone else put a similar idea into action, is truly depressed. Sometimes, great ideas are being worked on at the opposite side of the Earth, and it’s just a matter of who puts the idea into action first.

There are also co-workers and supervisors who will gladly take the credit for your ideas. Therefore, do not waste time or procrastinate in any way. If you make a mistake, use it to your advantage and learn from it, but don’t “sit on an idea.”

One last point to cover on this subject is how often we judge ourselves harshly. In my Yoga classes, I often mention “non-judgment” of others, but we are our own worst critics in this life. No one else will ever be as harsh as we can be to ourselves. So, stop criticizing your own ideas, before they get started, and put them into action.

Pranayama: Simple breath awareness alone can help relieve anxiety and depression. When you combine this with meditation, Pranayama can be a powerful tool. As a Yoga practitioner, you know many Yogic breathing techniques, but students should have a few “go to” Pranayama techniques for daily stress and some for severe stress.

Ujjayi Pranayama would be the first selection; translated to English this means, “victory or victorious breath.” Therefore, it is no accident that this particular Pranayama will purge depression and inner fears. As a matter of fact, Ujjayi Pranayama will instill confidence.

If Yoga students practice Ujjayi Pranayama, with an Asana sequence such as Sun Salutations or a Vinyasa series, they will conquer mild depression and develop new found confidence in themselves.

There are many more Yogic solutions for anyone to get rid of depression and gain confidence in his or her self, but these ten methods are familiar to Yoga teachers and most Yoga students. Yoga practice needs to be taken home, just like homework. If a Yoga student truly wants to see results, the practice of Yoga has to be maintained on a regular basis.

Within Yoga are many facets, but all of them lead to good health. A Yoga student who practices “once in a while,” is better off than never having practiced at all, but should not expect to see significant results. This is why Yoga teachers have to tell their students the truth about expectations.

Do not “sugar coat” a Yoga student’s responsibility to practice Yoga on an almost daily basis. This is also how a medical prescription works. Can you imagine what would happen if patients took their prescribed medicine once in a while?

Continuity is the key to good health and a steady Yoga practice will yield good mental, physical, and spiritual health. This is also true for everything worth attaining in life.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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