You’re not alone if you feel down or depressed during the winter
months. SAD (or Seasonal Affective Disorder) is now a recognized medical condition, not just a case of “feeling blue”.
Common symptoms of SAD include depression, anxiety, lethargy and weight gain and is believed to be caused by a lack of sunshine. This lack of light can cause a disruption to the body’s natural circadian rhythms, causing many people to struggle through the long winter months.
Light therapy is an important part of treatment for SAD but yoga is also being proven to be very effective in relieving symptoms, mainly because stress leads to depression and depression can cause SAD. Yoga can significantly lower stress levels, helping combat SAD.
The types of yoga poses that are most recommended to help with SAD are inversions, back bends, forward bends, pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation.
So keep up your yoga practice – even just 15 minutes a day can make a big difference in how you feel!
Do you have SAD? What have you found makes a difference? Have you tried yoga to improve your symptoms?