LifeForce Yoga®
LifeForce Yoga® is a specific type of yoga that is intentionally designed to work with and manage the mood. Through breath work, simple postures, and meditation techniques, LifeForce Yoga® is used as a compassionate approach to relieve depression and anxiety.
Read about Joy and Lifeforce Yoga in The Providence Journal
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LifeForce Yoga® works toward:
- balancing the biochemistry of the brain
- stimulating the endocrine system to create a state of healing and relaxation
80% of people experiencing depression have some form of anxiety included in their symptoms. LifeForce Yoga® offers specific practices to balance both spectrums, giving students practical take- home tools to address the range of moods.
Benefits of LifeForce Yoga®
Physiological Benefits
- Increase in "feel good" hormones: oxytocin and prolactin
- Decrease in cortisol levels
- Increased serotonin
- Relaxes chronic muscle tension
- Restores natural diaphragmatic breathing
- Improves oxygen absorption and carbon dioxide elimination
- Certain techniques stimulate vagus nerve activity
- Calms the nervous system
Psychological Benefits
- Elevation of mood
- Balances left/right brain function
- Cultivates equanimity in the face of life's challenges
- Develops greater self-awareness
- Symptoms of depression and/or anxiety are lessened
- Better management of bipolar disorder
- Greater access to feelings, which is a complement to talk therapy
Joy Bennett
Joy Bennett discovered yoga in 1998, while experiencing a deep depression. She has also suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. Her subsequent healing through the practice of yoga led her to become a yoga teacher.
Amy Weintraub
Amy Weintraub, MFA, E-RYT 500, author of Yoga for Depression (Broadway Books) and founding director of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute, is a leader in the field of yoga and mental health. Joy Bennett continues to work extensively with Amy, assisting Amy’s programs throughout the New England Region.
For more information on Amy: www.yogafordepression.com
