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| anyone have sucess attacking a serious psychological problem with yoga? i just got diagnosed with bipolar disorder and am wondering whether to really try to put yoga at the center of my life. advice /experience, anyone?
elizabeth in california |
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| Hi Elizabeth. I wont claim to have any kind of expertise with either yoga or BD, but I do know someone that practices yoga and has schizophrenia/bipolar disorder. One thing to keep in mind is that while I know that such diagnosis are classified under the heading of "psychological disorders" and diagnosis is made off of such profiling(which leaves waaayyy too much room for misdiagnosing, in my opinion), it may be more accurate to say it's a neurological disorder(neuropsychological?). (just to clarify that thought, to me "psychological" implies a problem with attitude or emotional difficulties.) Still much more testing needs to be done before such conditions are fully understood. But one thing that has been coming to light with various testings of the brain is that often those with such conditions have differences in the prefrontal cortex of the brain when compared to "healthy" subjects. So with that said, I can't really see how yoga could alter that. HOWEVER, he does enjoys the yoga as a coping/managing skill and does seem to feel better after practice.
And anything you can do as a positive step for yourself(eating healthy, exercising, following your dreams...) can certainly be seen as a good thing, regardless of whether it's directly or indirectly affecting your condition. Perhaps others on the forum will be able to offer further insight that would be a more direct response to your question. I do commend you, though, for trying to find something you can do to help yourself. Best of All to you in your journey!
Be Well |
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| Of course, Elizabeth. You must try Yoga mainly for this condition. Also, you have to be careful not to mix medical diagnosis, understanding of Yoga and physical test results, etc. All this is going to be interesting to know and only when understanding is complete, you can use the Yoga to your advantage. There is NO doubt that you need a personal attention and a dedicated practice. best luck.
neel kulkarni
Since you opened up yourself, a question; When you say you got diagnosised, why did you go to get some diagnosis? Is there something bothering you for a while or long time, perhaps?
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Oh, one other thing, if I may, in your choice of words "attacking" your "problem". I realize you mention that this is a recent diagnosis for you, so you may be more fired up right now to "fix it", but if this is an accurate diagnosis then perhaps taking a different approach(outlook, attitude towards it?) may be more beneficial for you. Perhaps instead of "attacking" the condition, recognize that this is a part of who/what you currently are, and learn to work with yourself as you are. Now please don't misunderstand, I'm not in the least implying to just give up and decide there is something "wrong" with you, like a cripple or something so there is no use. *gentle smile* I just mean to work within the limits of who you are and be the best You you can be. Like my grandmother was fond of saying, there's more than one way to skin a cat. So you may not get somewhere by the same path as someone else, but that doesn't mean you can't reach the same place all the same. You just need to find a road that works for you.
There is a lot of research out there, and if you have the means to have some additional testing done to try to find where your own imbalances may lie then working to balance that may be beneficial. I, personally, love to read medical research, I know strange hobby. *chuckle* But one thing I've noticed from looking up various neurological differences(I hate to call it a dis-order, makes it sound like something horrid) is that it can sometimes be different things for different people. I have a cousin that has schizophrenia, and he also has a known dopamine imbalance that they feel is a connection. The kicker is that about a year ago they found that often the reason some have trouble kicking the smoking addiction is that it causes a rise in dopamine and he's a 3 pack a day smoker. So there may be the potential there that if he could get a handle on his addiction, he may find a balancing of his condition.
In the mean time, getting to know, love and accept yourself will all be beneficial for your journey through life. And certainly yoga is a means of self-discovery and acceptance for many. I just don't want to see you set yourself up with a false hope of any One thing being a panacea for you. That's just a recipe for disaster as you set yourself up with expectations that are, by design, probably going to fail. So check into a lot of things, maybe keeping a food journal to see if your mood swings are being aggravated by any foods you eat, get some further testing done to see if there are any deficiencies(vitamins, minerals, hormones...), start an exercise routine, join a support group... Lots of avenues to explore. Above all, keep hope and keep it real.
Be Well
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| In a nutshell?
Yoga will not cure a bipolar disorder, but since it can help you to bring balance into your life, with the correct (balanced) meds and something to help bring you into the moment?
Yoga can never hurt.
I can't think of a thing that yoga would hurt.
I am concerned also with your languaging for "attacking" this disorder. At present, there is no cure for how the neurons fire -- or not. "Getting a handle on it" might be more productive and achievable.
Either way, I'm willing to bet you're glad to have figured out what has been going on in your life!
C. |
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| HI, I have Bipolar, and I empathize with your new diagnosis. I think Yoga can help a good deal. It calms your nerves while the aerobic aspect energizes you. I have enjoyed the slightly more vigorious forms of yoga, such as Vinyasa, and Kundalini is also wonderful. When I do the slower kinds I just ruminate. I highly recommend a Kundalini yoga tape taught by "Gurmukh". It always makes me feel better. I still take many medications, and have not completely overcome my last serious episode. So I think meds., physical exercise, a constant sleep-wake cycle, good diet, cutting out caffeiene etc etc are all necessary.
I am reading a book called "Yoga for Depression" which I think can explain the physiology of yoga and how it can help. Good luck! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
 
| I agree with daa25. I am a social worker and I work with many people who have Bipolar Disorder.
There is a large variety of symptoms under this heading. Generally they comprise a
series of depressed and then manic symptoms. The variety is incredible in that many people
experience mainly either depression/or mania without much of a cycling.
I know of no way for you to know how your mind will react to different things without trying them, but
trying them iwth eyes open. I do Bikram and I experience a lot more energy after class. I
sometimes have difficulty sleeping etc. I don't know if doing vigorous yoga would trigger a manic state after a while. I suspect almost nobody knows. You can become the expert on
your body and your mind state. I think meds help most people. Probably they are being
recommended for you.
I think exercise, sleep, diet, and, as much as possible, meaningful friends and work are vital
Support groups can be helpful. Good luck to you, and please report back.
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| I like to think of yoga as something I add to my life to enrich it and empower me, rather than using it as a weapon to battle something that is part of me. Even though my career is in psychology, I believe that to try to become "normal" takes away ones uniqueness. Certainly, if you are diagnosed as bipolar, there must have been something you were doing that was considered by you, your loved ones, or your professional that was maladaptive. Your behavior and thinking was/is causing some pain in your life and you or someone else wants the pain to go away. Even if mood disorders are purely biological and cannot be changed by thinking and behavior, you can learn to live with them through medication and other behavioral strategies. I think the key is not to focus on erraticating a "disorder" but to find ways to cope and function positively with this unique element of yourself. Therefore, use yoga as a positive to add to your coping strategies, and try some other things too, to help understand yourself and identify what you are needing when you are depressing or elevating.
Hope this makes sense. I'm in one of my feminist modes. |
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Extreme Veteran
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| bigmamma,
I agree that people bury creativity and uniqueness to try to strive for a mythical "normal", but
people with mood disorders, as I'm sure you know, can be very uncomfortable, sad irritable etc.
They can also spend a lot of money, energy etc. on things that are destructive.
So whats the point. Normal is good beginning point. If someone with BD can achieve a normal
mood, they can then decide whether to be unique, or whather they can be quietly unnoticed.
Uniqueness isn't too much fun if you can't choose to sit quietly and observe with an clear, somewhat neutral mind. Cycles or depression and mania are really usually uncomfortable, as
least when the cycle switches. |
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Expert Yogi
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| bigmamma and gogirl - I think you are looking at two sides of the same coin, perhaps. It is partly a matter of degree and partly a matter of philosophy, maybe. I like the idea of working within or around a disorder rather than "battling" it, particularly when I am in that feminist mode, as you say bigmamma  I sometimes read obits of people who "lost a battle with" dissease x and feel sad that the language seems to indicate they spent their last time here at war rather than at peace. But recognising one must also come to some sort of stability in order to be able to make choices on how to deal with a disorder is important, as well. If you have a broken leg it is probably best to have it set and put in a cast before deciding how to rehab. |
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| Tourist and GoGirl:
True what you both say about getting to the "normal" point. I guess that what I meant to say was that "normal" may not be possible. Heck, we don't really know what "normal" is. Perhaps it is more appropriate to say one needs to problem solve through counseling/medication/psychiatric consultation in what ways and in what areas of their life are their behaviors and thoughts causing a significant impairment. Chances are, you will never eliminate a bipolar disorder. It will come and go and will need to be managed more or less throughout your life. That is what I reframe as "uniqueness". That part that is you. It is okay to have that about yourself, as long as you are actively managing it in a way that is not causing you more pain. All too often, I have encountered clients who don't want to be "fixed". Especially those with bipolar disorder. Let's face it, some of their best work may come out of a manic episode. They go along with recommendations and medication to "normalize" them, and then one day get bored or in pain or whatever and they chose to depress or elevate or binge, etc. Then they feel shameful and defeated that they couldn't be "normal". That it was too hard or boring. I don't have the magic cure, of course, but I do think we can approach mental health differently at times. Gogirl---believe me, I am the most straight-forward realist when it comes to a treatment plan. But to be told or to believe that you are somehow defective only exacerbates depression and anxiety (though for some it may be a relief). Could we just say, this is how your brain works and this is what we can do to help you better cope with it... |
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Expert Yogi
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| I hear you bigmamma. Sometimes the price to be paid is too high. Some freak doctor once put me on heavy duty psychatric drugs for migraines (he was a sub and honestly, I think I looked like someone who needed them the day I saw him). I had no migraines and massively increased production at work but essentially was dead inside. I think my personality pretty much dissappeared. Scary, but probably one of the turning points for me in how I look at medicine.
Big mamma - we recently watched "Chicago" so I have the picture of Queen Latifah vamping around in her gold dress when I see your name |
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| "When you're good to Mamma . . . Mamma's good to you!" |
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Expert Yogi
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| bigmamma - 2005-08-25 2:07 PM
Bigmamma,
Could we just say, this is how your brain works and this is what we can do to help you better cope with it...
Yes, I think all of us adjust to our uniquenesses. I am supposedly normal, but I adjust to
my inner terrain, which is very different than me friend's and my husband's reality.
Many of my clients do not wish to return to their former unmedicated selves ---- some do.
Some still feel ups and downs which look to the outside world ( and to me) like "normal" even when medicated. So medication gives them a version of what most people call
"normal". I know that you know all of this. I am aware though that there are people
who could think that yoga would cure bipolar. I hate to see someone believe that without
more exploration of the issue.
Do you ever wish you could enter someone elses mind and experience the world the way
they do? I have become so aware lately of how different we all are ( even in the normal club).
I think this comes from the different way I feel when I do Bikram regularly.
I didn't realize that normal could feel this good, prior to yoga. peggy |
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Expert Yogi
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| gogirl58 - 2005-08-27 12:39 PM
I am aware though that there are people
who could think that yoga would cure bipolar. I hate to see someone believe that without
more exploration of the issue.
Do you ever wish you could enter someone elses mind and experience the world the way
they do? I have become so aware lately of how different we all are ( even in the normal club).
Peggy - Yes, I would hate to see someone think that yoga could cure bipolar, as well. In fact, some forms or playing around with some aspects of yoga without expert guidance could make it much worse. People need to know that!
Enter someone else's mind? I work with little kids and I SO wish I knew what they were thinking and how their thought processes worked! The trick with jumping into someone else's mind would have to be a "get out NOW!" switch
I think this comes from the different way I feel when I do Bikram regularly.
I didn't realize that normal could feel this good, prior to yoga.
Awesome!!!  |
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| Hi there,
I've had BP for quite a while now. To manage it it is important to be sensible and take on board what your doctors reccomend. I see a psychiatrist who makes sure the medication is right and that I don't go off the rails, and a doctor (GP) who takes care of prescriptions, general check overs, and blood tests.
I take lithium, lamicatal, resperidone and occasionally valium and zopiclone.
I practice yoga everyday apart from saturday. It has helped me enourmously and helped me drop one other medication I was taking. I also hardly ever use valium these days. It has helped me take more control over the whole thing and given me a place to find peace and sillness.
I reccomend it to anyone suffering from this. Actually you don't need to suffer from it but rather live with it. I have a successful career in science, a very active life, friends, and live a happy life overall. I have down periods and up periods too, but I can manage them better, with less drama!
There are some really good resources on the web which I found helped and also informed me well at the time.
Putting anything at the center of your life forcefully is a mistake. Let it run it's own course and chillout. That helps. I just went to classes and then found myself embracing it naturally. Not everybody will, but yoga need'nt be at the center of your life to have a positive effect.
Edited by DownwardDog 2005-10-07 8:34 AM
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| I'm bp and some of my family members are as well.
yoga IS verry relaxing and it makes me feel better about so many things. |
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| This is a stale topic, but worthwhile, so I'll revive it...
Yoga has been so successful in helping manage my bipolar disorder that I became a yoga instructor. I've been able to go off all medications except a mood stabilizer, and I've scaled back on that 50% under dr's supervision.
But make no mistake about it, yoga will not cure bipolar. Yoga is one part of a multi-pronged approach to good living.
Be careful with heat-producing pranayama as it could spur hypomania or mania if you're not careful. I practice them, but this goes with knowing where you are in the mood spectrum.
I have found Kripalu Yoga and Viniyoga to be the most helpful forms of yoga in dealing with bipolar disorder.
Practicing at night could lead to insomnia, so don't think you can wear yourself down and fall right to sleep. Use a calming breath instead or mantras.
As mentioned previously in this thread, relief of stress and anxiety are major benefits of a yoga practice with regard to bipolar disorder, but certainly not the only ones. The biggest benefit for me has been being more grounded and in touch with a deeper level of self that is fulfilled and pristine, untouched by the rocky waves on the surface layer of personality, thoughts, and mood swings.
So, what do you think?
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| DavidM: Thank you for this post. Very well said. |
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| Hello there, thanks for all posting a balanced perspective on yoga and how it can have a positive impact on the neurological disorder. I totally agree with bigmama's perspective on how yoga along with pranayama can enrich the lives. I have been facing the wrath of bipolar disorder (my fiance' has it) and at times it becomes impossible for me to handle the situation. Only when I do yoga sadhana (practice) and svadyaya(read) that it restores my cheerful spirit. However, my friend isn't helping the situation by neither taking medication nor have the willingness to try alternative therapy like yoga. She is extremely energetic and only thing that seem to calm her are walking on the trail, or seashore etc., It certainly have an impact on my life, job, friends, family and almost everything. If not for yoga, probably I might have gone crazy. I would appreciate if some one can share their perspective on how to cope with such things in life. |
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New User
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| Hi,
I am a 27 years old indian female diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder around 3 years (on the basis of a psychotic attack). I know that in allopathy, there is no treatment for this and you have to be always on drugs and typically allopathic medicines have side effects. I wonder if there is a good treatment in Ayurveda and this coupled with regular Yoga/Pranayam can get you totally rid of allopath medicines. Has anybody tried this?
Could one please suggest some good ayurvedic doctor for bipolar disorder treatment in India?
I have had 2 psychotic attacks, but I am not convinced about my diagnosis. It could have been a result of excess work stress,isolation with people, and may be some Attention deficit disorder and over exertion , unrealistic expectation, not meeting up tight deadlines etc etc. Has anybody felt this way?
I am not connected with even a single bipolar disorder patient in India and have no idea of treatment scenario in India. Would pple please like to connect. My email address is eduentrepreneur@gmail.com
Also, how does RamDev Baba yoga and other kinds of vigorous yoga like asanas etc compare?
Thanks, |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 436
Location: Washington DC | Hello,
Which part of Indian are you located. If I can help you to get a Yoga teacher there to guide you. You need a qualified Yoga teacher to start your yoga practice under his/her guidance. I wish you all the best...
Namaste |
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New User
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| Hi,
I am located in Delhi. I could find some yoga institutes from Internet, but if you have some experience with Yoga teachers in this area, could you please point some teachers in and around this area.
Thanks, |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 436
Location: Washington DC | Oh really, I dont have any contact there. Sometimes I conduct some workshop there, when I go back to India. But I can tell to go to Bangalore for a week or 2 and stay at Prasanti Kutiram of svyasa. Please go to this web to know more about them:
http://www.svyasa.org
They have many therapeutic Yogic courses that would really help you. I also know some Yoga teachers there in Bangalore city. However, if can go to Bangalore then go to this place. Dont think so much...
I wish you all the best...
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yoga for bipolar disorder?
