By Scott Meyers
There are a variety of relaxation techniques that are recommended for those who suffer from depression. They may not be a cure, but they should help to relax a person, depending on the type of exercises.
Exercise can help to relax a person and so potentially lessen stress, which can then lessen the feeling of depression. Some people like to do meditative exercises because they appear to help some feel more in control of their lives. Meditation helps depressives feel more like they are not being left behind by the world.
Some of the best of these meditative practices are yoga exercises. Yoga teachers will tell you that meditation highly benefits a person's nervous system, while at the same time benefiting your circulation and energizing the body and mind. It is this energy that gives the depressive the feeling that they are finally able to manage the demands in their lives, especially those things that they feel get the better of them all too often.
It is recommended that someone suffering depression spend up to twenty minutes twice a day meditating and at least the same amount of time doing the exercises. The extra energy generated may be the first feeling to get up and go the depressive has had in a long time.
The expectation is that meditation will help to calm and heal the depressive and so allow for the depressed mood to diminish or disappear. If a regular routine of exercise can improve the life of the depressive even to a small degree then perhaps hand in hand with some natural supplement this may be a route worth examining closer.
Like the ancient art of acupuncture and its history with the Chinese, yoga stems from Hindu beliefs that began over five thousand years ago. It is a philosophy that aims to bring the person together within themselves into peace and happiness both on a physical and emotional level.
These ancient forms of repairing yourself seem to be things that in recent years are getting a more serious appraisal from researchers and health care providers. The breathing exercises are said to be some of the best for those suffering from depression, as they are both calming and energizing. The feeling among those who use these techniques is that the breathing exercises cause the body to take in the oxygen better and to get rid of the carbon monoxide more completely. They believe that this improves the brain's activities including the releasing of natural feel good chemicals. These include oxytocin and endorphins.