Yoga and mental health

I’m trying to get things going for my photo project. I’ve managed to take notes from two of the interviews and create a bit of content on the site around those interviews. It’s really tough because the interviews are an hour long; I’m finding it hard to find the time to listen to them! A few really neat themes have come out so far though. The one I’m most interested in at the moment has been the response to a question about mental or physical health. Almost every one of my interviewees has talked about feelings of anxiety, and how the practice helps them with that. It’s a really powerful statement about the practice, and the effects that it can have on mental health.

I’ve always known that this was the case. When I first started practicing, I suffered from debilitating anxiety. I was prone to panic attacks, and on a few occasions had such severe ones that I hyperventilated and made myself pass out. Fortunately I was never hurt, but it definitely scared me.

After nearly nine years of practice, I’m happy to report that I haven’t suffered from a panic attack in a very long time. I think it’s been at least five years, but I can’t be certain. I’ve been very upset of course, but even during the most stressful times in my life, I’ve managed to avoid a full-blown attack. I credit my practice.

My interviewees also reported similar situations. You can read a bit more about that here, in the section on yoga therapy.

I’ll add more content to that, and other sections, over the next few weeks. Thanks for stopping by!

Here’s a photo of one of my lovely interviewees: