Yogi bringing the inner wisdom of her book to Montgomery.
By: Jillian Kalonick
For Amy Weintraub, depression was a lack of feeling and paralysis; she compares it to "an element of blank," as Emily Dickinson called it. She suffered from cognitive impairment; she lost things, forgot meetings and "moved as though through a fog."
That changed when Ms. Weintraub began practicing yoga daily. "I got a brochure in the mail for Kripalu Center in Massachusetts," she says. "There was no literature at the time about it. I decided to go, and I loved the yoga. There was an immediate feel-good effect, I felt really connected."
Ms. Weintraub was on antidepressants and seeing a therapist at the time, who had told her "You’re one of those people who will always have empty pockets." At the yoga class, her interpretation of this dire prediction changed.
"Hold the breath and feel the light as healing energy expands through your whole body," her instructor said. "Exhale and open your palms to receive. Stay empty. God loves your empty hands."
After treating her depression for yoga for more than 20 years, Ms. Weintraub has written "Yoga for Depression: A Compassionate Guide to Relieve Suffering Through Yoga" (Broadway Books, 2004). She will give a lecture, sign books and teach a yoga workshop at Princeton Center for Yoga & Health in Montgomery on June 25 and 26.
The increasing popularity of yoga has brought along with it sexy yoga attire, competitive "hot yoga" classes and buff celebrities who swear by their famous trainers. But Ms. Weintraub’s practices can fit any person who seeks yoga for healing.
"Anyone can do yoga, you don’t have to be fit or 25. I have an 83-year-old woman who practices alongside 20-somethings and 50-somethings, she’s as much of a yogi as they are. She’s having an experience of yoga, which is mind and body it’s meditation.
"There’s a yoga for every body, there’s classes for seniors, gentle and beginner classes. If you’ve been sort of a couch potato, you might not want to go to a local gym, but there are yoga classes that meet your specific constitution and mood."
Ms. Weintraub says that those suffering from depression benefit from practicing the type of yoga that suits their symptoms. For example, a "Type A" personality with anxiety-based depression might practice a vigorous class at a gym, which will meet their mood and help them calm down. Someone who is lethargic might seek out a gentler, more restorative practice.
The statistics on depression are sobering. According to the World Health Organization, by the year 2020 depression will be the second biggest world killer. After attending medical and mental health conferences to speak on the effect of yoga on depression, Ms. Weintraub feels medical professionals are becoming more open to the possibilities of yoga as therapy.
"The yogis believe that we store all that’s happened to us in the physical body and emotional body and energy body," she says. "When you’re practicing you have the ability to release and reframe. Psychobiologists are just catching up with what the yogis have understood for thousands of years that everything that happens affects our neural pathways.
"There’s research that not only do we feel our feelings in the limbic brain, but we experience our feelings throughout the body in terms of neuropeptides. In order to address the emotional body, you need physical practice as well as talk therapy."
After nine months of yoga, Ms. Weintraub was able to stop taking her medication completely something she does not recommend doing without working with a doctor. However, many people, even those with bipolar disorder, may be able to at least reduce their antidepressant medication by practicing yoga daily.
In "Yoga for Depression," Ms. Weintraub details her own experience with depression, along with stories of how others used yoga for healing. She discusses yogic breathing, meditation and different practices, and intersperses specific yoga postures throughout the text.
Now a resident of Tucson, Ariz., Ms. Weintraub grew up in Pittsburgh, lived in Newport, R.I. for several years and was an award-winning television producer and writer. She earned a master of fine arts degree in writing and literature at Bennington College, Vt.
She is a senior Kripalu teacher and Mentor, is certified by the Yoga Alliance as a Professional Yoga teacher and writes for Yoga Journal, Psychology Today and Yoga International. She has also recorded a CD, "Breathe to Beat the Blues," which features 10 pranayama breathing exercises.
Her own journey inspired her to write the book, and teach workshops throughout the country. "I’ve been interested in it because of my own recovery and I’m passionate about sharing what helped me," she says.
After trying therapy, medication and other forms of exercise to treat her depression, she emphasizes the reflection that yoga inspires.
"What happens when you’re practicing yoga is you develop what the yogis call witness consciousness you’re watching breath, observing yourself as you practice and cultivating mindfulness. You’ll be able to look at yourself."
Amy Weintraub will give an introductory experiential lecture at Princeton Center for Yoga & Health in Montgomery on Friday, June 25 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. for $15. A book signing will follow. Ms. Weintraub will give a multi-level yoga workshop at PCYH on Saturday, June 26 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. for $40, $35 advance. The cost for both programs is $45 in advance. For more information, visit www.princetonyoga.com or call (609) 924-7294. Yoga for Depression on the Web: www.yogafordepression.com.