Anxiety-based depression is a painful cycle of worry and obsessive thinking that strips us of our confidence until the very experience of existence is painful. Possibly something distressing happened in the past and so we believe this will happen again, or maybe we just find uncertainty unbearable. Hoping to protect ourselves, we spend time imagining how to avoid pitfalls that might arise. Maybe we don't even try to solve things, but just believe we are already tied to some imagined fate, like I will always be lonely, or I will never be successful. Either way, we begin to spend most of our time concerned about things that have not yet happened and things that happened in the past. We weary our minds with imaginings of disasters, feeling helpless and trapped, incessantly trying to fix a future that has not yet arrived and a past that is long gone. To make matters worse, if we did have difficult past experiences, we begin to use them to create a pervasive perception of how the world operates. Thoughts like: "I can't trust the world" or "I can't trust myself" or "this always happens to me," or "things will never get" better start to pervade our minds and bind our hearts. Pretty soon we find ourselves enveloped by full-blown anxiety-based depression. We feel hopeless and alone plagued by unrelenting anxiety and doubt

Having suffered from this experience myself for many years, I know what it feels like to keep spiraling downward. Most potent for me was the enduring sense that there was something innately wrong with me that radiated from the core of my being. I remember the constant and yet futile struggle to remake myself in hope of un-becoming who and what I was. It is only now after years of yoga, meditation, and self-exploration that I am able to recognize that I was suffering from specific symptoms, which became increasing worse with time, and that in fact I was not tarnished and beyond repair. I say this because I want other people to realize that anxiety-based depression is a process, not a fate, a destiny, or an inherent problem. One of the basic tenets of yogic philosophy is that we are all luminous, and have the potential for well-being and it offers us a path for how to experience this.  Through my own journey on the yogic path I have found this to be true. 

Although modern psychology is not quite as flowery, it also explains to us that anxiety-based depression is not a character flaw but rather a veritable psychological condition, with specific symptoms that can be treated. According to the DSM manual-IV, the psychological classification of mental health issues, symptoms include a sense of fear and worry, a heightened experience of physiological arousal, and difficulty in concentrating or paying attention, which eventually leads to a lack of self-worth. These symptoms exist in a cumulative self perpetuating cycle. Basically, the more we worry the more we are confined to physiological response of anxiety, which hinders our ability to focus so that daily tasks become grueling, and our sense of self becomes excruciating. Another way to look at this is that the body and mind begin a mutual process of endless affliction where the body responds to the fear in our minds, while the mind experiences increased fear as a result of the physiological response. 

When we have a negative thought, especially an anxious thought the body responds immediately as it thinks we are under attack. The sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system, the part responsible for mobilizing the body's energy for fight and flight is triggered through this stimulus. Through the release of two neurotransmitters known as norepinephrine and epinephrine, a ripple affect occurs in the body setting in motion a comprehensive physiological response. The heartbeat quickens as the breath becomes rapid and chesty as the heart and lungs collaborate to pump extra blood and oxygen to the external muscles.  The energy that would be used for other processes like digestion come to a halt as the body uses all its energy to evade or respond to danger. Our eyes dilate and our entire system goes on hyper-alert searching for any possible threat. We literally become hypersensitive.

As these functions are primarily orchestrated by a section of the brain known as the limbic system, this part of the brain takes the front seat. The limbic system is responsible for instinctive drive, homeostasis, and emotion.  In contrast to the cortex, which supports the logical mind, the limbic system is not engaged in rational thought and modulation of behavior. Therefore, when the sympathetic nervous system is activated we are driven by instinctive drive and emotion rather than reason. The limbic system is concerned with survival and is not able to analyze whether or not we are actually in jeopardy. It's only later when the system relaxes that we can become reflective and wonder about the nature of our response, but at the moment of sympathetic activation this awareness is simply not present as the logical mind is on the back burner. This makes sense if we are fighting for survival, but completely complicates daily living making us feel out of control. We don't really need to set our entire system on alert because we receive a big credit card bill, or do not receive enough attention from our partners, or because we are afraid that people don't like us. In fact, sympathetic activation only makes matters worse. We not only have to contend with the whole self-loathing thoughts and judgments, but also a whole host of chemical reactions and physical sensations that give energy to the feeling that we are truly being threatened. 

To add insult to injury, the more the sympathetic nervous system is activated the easier it becomes to trigger. In a sense, neurological pathways that support this response become etched in our physical makeup. The same happens with thoughts that become habitual and start to plague us more and more often. So the entire schema for anxiety-based depression becomes a template that determines how we think and feel. The good news is that through considerable effort it is possible to form new habits in the body and mind. My own experience has been that the most effective way to work with anxiety-based depression is to work with the body and mind together. Since the mind and body are engaged in an endless feedback loop, working with both at the same time is a potent strategy. This is one of the reasons that yoga is such an effective treatment. Yoga works with the entire person. Although it was not designed for the purpose of treating anxiety-based depression, it is intended to relax the body and help regulate the physiological response, to balance the mind by removing restlessness and worry, and to help focus the mind, which gives rise to tranquility and acceptance of the fluctuations of life. So yoga possesses great potential for treating anxiety-based depression. 

One of the cornerstones of any yoga practice is noticing and regulating the breath.  Usually when we simply become aware of our breathing our breath changes and becomes more calm. Slowly we begin to elongate the breath. Yoga also teaches us that we can regulate our mood by playing with ratio between the inhale and exhale. When the exhale is longer than the inhale it helps to increase CO2 levels in the brain, which fosters a sense of calm. Next, if we gently bring the breath into the abdominal cavity, the body will further relax, which has a soothing affect on the mind.  Rapid chesty breathing is both a response of the sympathetic nervous system and can also stimulate sympathetic response. By breathing incorrectly we keep the sympathetic response activated. When we mindfully moderate the breathing the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, the part responsible for relaxation kicks in and our whole system gets the message that we can unwind. If we continue to practice in this way the body will begin to adopt abdominal breathing helping us to manage the stress response better. 

When we practice yoga postures with belly breathing we teach the nervous system to remain calm even under physical exertion. If we really want to retrain the nervous system, we practice a few challenging poses that increase the heart-rate, followed by a savasana practice with deep breathing. Once the heartbeat returns to normal we can start the process again. By repeating this process of exertion and relaxation the nervous system learns to lessen frequency of the sympathetic response, and also to switch to parasympathetic mode more quickly when it is activated. 

Another useful way to calm ourselves is to hold poses for long periods of time. The muscles are attached to nerves, which feed information to the brain via sensory neurons.  When a muscle is held still for more than twenty seconds, while a person is breathing calmly this sensory neuron tells the brain that the body is safe, and the brain initiates deeper physiological relaxation. Additionally, we build tolerance when we hold a challenging yoga pose, and begin to open to feelings of tension in a compassionate way. Coming out of anxiety-based depression is not about changing the world, but changing our reactions to the world. When we sit in a yoga pose that is difficult and learn to breathe into the tension, finding a bit of calm amidst the storm, we are learning to do just that, to change our reaction.  

Yoga allows us to deepen into an experience of ourselves.  We start to learn about the thoughts and mental schemas that we employ when we don't like something or are afraid. Maybe we try to push through the experience, maybe we start to judge ourselves, maybe we immediately want to escape or maybe we judge others or compare ourselves. All of this is good information that we learn about our minds. When we understand that thoughts are mental habits, and not necessarily true, we gain some power over them. In fact, we might be able to interject the process and stop the avalanche that may be mounting. This is not only because we gain greater understanding but also because awareness stimulates the cortex, specifically the prefrontal cortex. The regular activation of this part of the brain strengthens it, giving it greater rein over the limbic system, which increases our ability to modulate our behavior. 

During a yoga practice, mindfulness is buttressed by breath regulation and physical experience, further anchoring us to the present. Being present with what is happening rather than getting lost in endless rumination is major step. It means that on some level we are learning to redirect our attention. It means we are learning to come out of the world of disastrous imaginings and back to our own ground. It means we are spending less time in the nonexistent future and more time in the present. It also means that we are developing focus and concentration. All of these factors conspire to make daily living easier and pleasurable.

Yoga is not only about letting go of pain, it is also about meeting joy. This also takes place in both body and mind. Practising yoga, releases endorphins in the cerebral spinal fluid, which lead to pleasant sensation, while yoga has been proven to lower cortisol levels a neurotransmitter released during stress. Research also suggests yoga increases alpha waves in the brain, which are produced during waking relaxation and theta waves, which indicate a deep level of subconscious awareness.   

The wellness yoga offers can be felt in a very tangible way. We feel more flexible, more agile, lighter and freer, in both body and mind. We start to develop a sense of control over our mental health, giving us more confidence. Finally the philosophy reminds us we are inherently healthy. If we feel sad, anxious, or full of anger it means our minds and bodies are not cultivated. We are not bound to our past conditions, or even to our present body chemistry. If we are anxious or depressed it just means we have work to do and that work can begin right away. None of us are stagnate beings.  Instead, we are capable of change and transformation every step of the way. Yoga gives us a path to make that change possible regardless of our past or our imagined future.