Overcoming Depression

Yoga. 

What a powerful word. It means union. Union with what? With the unseen world of consciousness. It is a uniting of our finite self with the infinite self. We embody both of these aspects and as the Bhagavad Gita expresses, it’s like a battle between both of these forces. 

At times the non-self, the ego, will take over and drive the car of your life. At other times, your soul will take back its place of the driver and we experience more of a flow. 

But what happens when you get challenged in such as way that it feels nearly impossible to keep up? Life has a way of testing us… It has a way of pushing us to our edge to help us grow. 

For me, the edge that is always teaching me is depression. This “karma” has been with me since I was a child. It has manifested intensely at times, while at other times I can have better control of it. 

My life has been one self-help book after another combined with endless years of therapy, experimenting with various antidepressants, confiding in psychiatrists, searching for guru’s and alternative healers, and ultimately coming to the realization that all of these have benefited me… but what has worked the best is being consistent in a yoga and mediation practice. 

While it can be challenging to be consistent, the rewards are worth it. I’d rather show up on my yoga mat every day than have to take antidepressants. 

Just to share some context and my experience of depression, I’d like to tell you a brief story. While this story is brief, it took up a year of my life…

One of the most challenging times I had was spiraling into a depression after a breakup, losing my job and within a matter of two months, losing everything, and living in my car - homeless. While this was one of the hardest times of my life, the Universe forced me to grow in ways I never thought I could have imagined. 

At this rock bottom, I found myself. When I had nowhere to go, no one to confide in… all I had was myself. Some little voice within me told me to close my eyes and meditate. Every day I would sit with myself, go within and learn. In some ways, it was an escape from this world. And in another way, it was like getting a Ph.D. in myself… 

While this is an extreme situation of where depression took me… on some level, we all have felt lost, disconnected, uninspired and confused as to why we are here and what we are supposed to be “doing”. 

This article is an attempt to help those who have suffered from this lack of feeling connected to the universe, let alone, themselves. While there will be some heaviness in this blog, I want it to be real. 

So many times we deny ourselves the truth of our experience because we want to “look good” to others for approval and validation. Instead of being open, honest, and vulnerable. As we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we open a portal, a doorway for others to do the same. It takes courage, but the reward of knowing that you have been of service to someone who experiences a similar discomfort is worth it. 

I would like to share both the deep heaviness that depression is and then what has inspired me and lifted me back up from the shadows of the dark corners of my mind. 

Maybe you suffer from depression or maybe not. Either way, I know that all of us, in some way shape, or another, have felt that wave of lethargy and sadness wash over us. It could have been triggered by the loss of someone or something. There are events in our lives that challenge us to ultimately help us grow, evolve, be stronger and develop more awareness about ourselves and the world around us. 

However, for those who have a hypersensitivity to this world, emotions can have a stronger and more dramatic feeling than those with less sensitivity. While someone who goes through grief may be able to process it with minimal discomfort, another person’s world could feel like it’s collapsing and on the brink of disaster. 

These feelings can be so sticky as if we are glued to them without the ability to detach ourselves from the charged sensations we believe to be so visceral. 

The sensation of depression can feel all-consuming and defeating as if there isn’t a way out of that deep, dark hole. Yoga teaches us that depression is when we lose sight of our truth and our inner “light” becomes so dim that we lose the ability to navigate our lives. 

When that state of lethargy and sadness is prevalent, the last thing anyone wants to do is get out of bed and do yoga. Motivation is nonexistent and the inner dialogue of self-pity continues to spiral. 

All we want is for someone to show up at our front door and tell us that, yes you are loved, you do matter and you are important in this world… That there are people who adore you, love you, and want to see you rise to who you are meant to be. We want someone to appear out of thin air and remind us who we are and what we are here to do. 

We need both to be heard and also encouragement to lift ourselves back up. It can be hard for us to reach out and pick up the phone and make that phone call. Crying with tears of heartache, we long for someone to just call us. 

Tip number one: When someone comes to your mind, listen to that inner guidance and pick up the phone and call that person you are thinking of. This can make all the difference to you and to them. 

There is a term in yoga called Tapas. This is the heat that is produced when we practice yoga. Have you ever thought about what comes from heat? Light. Quite literally, as you practice yoga and your body heats up… at a quantum and cellular level you are “lighting up”. 

Depression is a result of stagnation and too many emotions, sensations, and feelings that are not getting processed through our being. They are getting suck into our mind, heart, or other central energy centers in our body (chakra). We have to take it upon ourselves to move this energy out of our being and let it go. 

Here’s the thing I have noticed… 

Once you begin a practice and are consistent… if you fall out of your consistency, that discomfort can enter so quickly. It’s quite fascinating actually. Yoga is purifying our mind to release us from suffering… But it is like a fire that needs constant stoking. 

As your being acclimates to practicing consistently, it wants to maintain that new consciousness and continue to integrate and embody more of the real Self. 

Being on any spiritual path requires courage and strength. Once we start practicing yoga, a seed of awareness is planted within us. That awareness stays with us and grows. It expands and is there for us to lean on when we feel discouraged and/or lost. We just have to remember to use the tools that we learn. 

Here are a few more tips to help overcome depression, sadness, and grief. 

Tip number two: Do everything in your power to stay consistent. Create a realistic commitment that can fit into your schedule. Be unwavering in your desire to heal, grow and learn about yourself. Find teachers that inspire you. Set your alarm a little earlier in the morning and start your day with intention. 

Tip number three: Make your own affirmation cards with index cards and place them everywhere. When we are embedding a new state of consciousness within us, we need reminders. As humans, we have this problem of amnesia - forgetting who and what we truly are. Here are some affirmations that I have written around my home: 

I am grateful for… (fill in the blank)
I am abundant in so many ways!

I am worthy of a happy life!

I am stable and safe within myself. 

Thank you for all the lessons I’ve learned in this life. 

Maybe today is a day for a mask and relaxation

Have you meditated today?

I am consistent 

I am committed to my spiritual practice

I trust that I can get through this 

I love my life!

I am a beacon of light meant to uplift and inspire others!

I love how adventurous and fun my life is!

To your rise and success

Brandon

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P.S.S. Are you feeling on track with your life’s purpose and plan? If not, I am here to help. Book an Inner Guidance Session Today!