Yogic Management Of Mania and bipolar disorder

M.SC. 4th SEMESTER APPLIED YOGA AND HUMAN EXECELLANCE

Guided by Submitted by

DR. PUJA KAUSHIK HEMANT PATIDAR

Assistant professor MSC Applied yoga

Department of yoga and health

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Mania
Maniac (from Greek maniakos) is word for an individual who experiences the
mood known as mania. Also in common usage it is an insult for someone
involved in reckless behavior.
Mania is a period of extreme high energy or mood. It looks different for some
people but generally includes a serious change in sleep, activity, and
impulsivity. People feel unstoppable and invincible, often starting new
businesses or taking on massive new projects. Risky behavior, like sudden or
dramatically increased drug use, sex, and spending, is also common. People’s
thoughts may race and others might find it difficult to keep up with what they
are saying. An important factor is that mania causes problems for people’s lives
even though it feels really good while a person is experiencing mania. Mania or
“manic episodes” can also include psychosis.

1. Violent derangement of mind; madness; insanity. mental illness marked

by periods of great excitement or euphoria, delusions, and overactivity.
2. Excessive or unreasonable desire; insane passion affecting one or many
people; fanaticism.
3.
4. The state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal,
and/or energy levels.
5. See or hear things that other people cannot see or hear
6. Experience a constant feeling of being watched
7. Speak or write in ways that seems disorganized or bizarre to others
8. Experience intense fears or suspicions about people close to them,
strangers, or organizations
Bipolar disorder

Formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes

extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and
lows (depression).

When you become depressed, you may feel sad or hopeless and lose interest or
pleasure in most activities. When your mood shifts to mania or hypomania (less
extreme than mania), you may feel euphoric, full of energy or unusually
irritable. These mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity, judgment,
behavior and the ability to think clearly.

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 Yogic management of mania and bipolar disorder:

“Anger is energy…” Yoga therapy for mania and bipolar disorder can control
one’s mood shift by bringing more awareness to the fluctuating moods. Practice
of yoga brings awareness to the body and mind. The Practitioner learns that the
moods or any sensation of the body and mind are temporary. One develops self-
awareness that helps control some of their manic tendencies. Practice of asana
can reduce depression, anxiety, anger and neurotic symptoms.

Pranayama helps to control breath, which stabilise and enhance the activity of
the brain. Meditation and yoga nidra (guided meditation) can induce total
relaxation and self-control. This is curial in case of any relapse or to cope with
bipolar disorder.

Proper Yoga Therapy helps most people with bipolar disorder gain better
control of their mood swings and related symptoms. An effective maintenance
treatment plan includes medication and psychotherapy for preventing relapse
and reducing symptom severity. Therapy and self-help strategies play important
roles.

The symptoms can be controlled by exercising regularly, getting enough

sleep, eating right, monitoring the moods, keeping stress to a minimum, and
surrounding oneself with supportive people.

Yoga is a fantastic anti-depressant and prefect mood stabilizer. It is psycho

physical science which brings physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual well-
being.

Yogic exercises play a pivotal role in mental health and controlling the various
mental illnesses. Its utility has been acknowledged and used as an adjunct to
psychotherapy in western countries. It works on the universal cosmic principles
of mind and body union in nature. In yogic exercises, postures are held for
varying lengths of time using gravity, leverage and tension in the body such as
breathing exercises- fast breathing (kapalabhati) and slow breathing (nadi
shuddhi) are practiced along with stretching exercises and may also involve the
practice of floor sitting, and standing postures, inversions (headstand, shoulder
stand), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditation.

1. Asana:

Stretches, twists, and extensions or expansions of various body parts. These

exercises affect levels of brain secretions or blood chemicals, including
monoamines, melatonin, dopamine, stress hormone and gamma amino butyric
acid.
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Suggested mechanisms of action include increased parasympathetic drive,
calming of stress responses, release of hormones, and brain thalamic activity.
Regular yogic exercises reduce heart rate and blood pressure, increase lung
capacity, increase the amount of time the breath and overall can improve muscle
relaxation and body composition, control weight and increase overall physical
endurance.

7 Best Poses In Yoga For mania and Bipolar Disorder

Yoga offers therapeutic poses that calm the mind. They divert the mind of the
bipolar patient and channelize his thoughts in a positive direction.

1. Garudasana (Eagle Pose)

Benefits: Garudasana improves your sense of balance and stretches your calves
and shoulders. It loosens your legs and hips, making them flexible. The pose
also improves your concentration.

2. Upavistha Konasana (Seated Wide-Angled Pose)

Benefits: Upavistha Konasana calms your brain and helps you become
peaceful. It stretches your legs, arms, and spine and opens your hips. It also
stimulates your abdominal organs.

3. Dandasana (Staff Pose)

Benefits: Dandasana calms your brain cells. It improves the alignment of your
body and enhances your body awareness. Dandasana lengthens and strengthens
your spine.
4. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

Benefits: Paschimottanasana is a stress reliever. It keeps anxiety, anger, and

irritability at bay. The pose regulates blood pressure and stretches the lower
back and hamstrings.
5. Ardha Pincha Mayurasana (Dolphin Pose)

Benefits: The Dolphin Pose relieves mild depression and headache and also
stretches your shoulders. It is helpful for insomnia and therapeutic for fatigue.

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6. Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)

Benefits: Setu Bandhasana tones your core muscles and opens your shoulders.
The pose strengthens your arms and legs and is therapeutic for high blood
pressure and stress.
7. Salamba Sirsasana (Headstand)

Benefits: Salamba Sirsasana strengthens your spine and neck and enables a
healthy blood flow into your brain cells. It treats depression and increases
clarity of mind.

Savasana

 shavasana is easy to do and best relaxation process for high blood

pressure, heart diseases, stress, insomnia, and depression.
 Boots the concentration power, and thinking power.
 Performing this pose after other asanas relieve the tiredness of your body
in a very short time.
 It cures weakness of brain, negative thinking, and tiredness

Shatkarmas :

here are six main cleansing techniques, also known as shatkriya or shatkarma.
Both from the point of view of mental and physical health, performing shatkriya
are of utmost importance.

NETI

Neti ( see fig 10.) is a comparatively simple process to clean the nasal tract of
pathogens and impurities, you can get a Neti vessel. In this vessel, a nasal pipe
is attached for you to inhale lukewarm saline water and exhale it out just
immediately. This cleans the sinews and improves the sense of smell over
repeated practice.

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TRATAKA

Trataka (see fig 11.)is a shatkriya to clean the eyes, involving looking at a
candle flame without blinking until your eyes are cleansed naturally with tears
pouring out. Make sure to integrate meditation in the trataka method. It cools
down your mental stimulations, relax your mind. And is very helpful in mania.

Pranayama:
Anulom Vilom Pranayama:

Helps to cure mental problems like Depression, Anxiety, stress, Tension etc.

 Most beneficial for breathing related problems like (Bronchitis, Asthma)

etc.
 Improve the working of lungs.
 Best breathing technique for boosting your memory (Makes your brain
sharper).
 Improves your immune system, so it cures general issues like a cough &
cold.
 Without any doubt, Anulom Vilom is the most suitable Pranayama for all.

Nadi shodhana Pranayama:

Best for purification of blood and Respiratory System.

 Deepest breathing improves the blood with oxygen.

 It gives strength to respiratory organs.
 Balance the working of the Nervous system.

Bhramari Pranayama:

This is the best method to achieve concentration of mind.

 It opens the blockage and gives a feeling of happiness to mind and brain.
 Beneficial in relieving from hypertension.
 It relaxes the mind and lowers stress.

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 Udgeeth:

Udgeeth Pranayama calms the mind and brings stability.

 This breathing technique also relieves tension, anger and anxiety.

 Udgeeth Pranayama is the Excellent breathing exercises for meditation.
 Effective against hypertension.
 Udgeeth Pranayama cures problems related to sleep (Insomnia) and bad
dreams.
 Control the high blood pressure and cure it.
 Cures the problems related to the nervous system.
 It Improve memory power.

Ujjayi Pranayama: It boosts the focusing power of the mind.

 The body becomes healthy, strong and lustrous.

 It generates the internal heat.
 Gives a positive attitude.

Meditation

Meditation techniques, like mindful breathing, help to decrease mood swings

and control emotions. Meditation also leads to more awareness, which can help
manic depressives to avoid the highs and lows while maintaining a healthy,
balanced mental state.

MANTRA MEDITATION

The mantra meditation technique is a great calming meditation method. During

mantra meditation, you mentally (silently) repeat a calming word, or mantra.
The repetition of the mantra will replace all busy thoughts and help you shut out
the outside world, thus calming your mind and body. Transcendental meditation
is another specific calming mantra meditation technique that can be effectively
used to relax.
MINDFUL MEDIATION
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In mindful meditation, you increase your awareness of the present moment. You
focus only on what you are experiencing in the exact moment while meditating,
such as your breathing or the sensation of your feet touching the floor, and
therefore keep your thoughts from wandering. Mindful, or mindfulness,
meditation can be performed pretty much anywhere and while engaging in
many different tasks, such as washing the dishes or walking.

PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION

Progressive muscle relaxation is a simple technique that has great calming

benefits. With progressive muscle relaxation, you progressively tense and relax
the various muscles in your body, either starting at your feet and moving
upward, or starting at the top of your head and moving downward. You tense
each muscle group for five or 10 seconds and then release the tension. Sit or lie
in a comfortable position and focus on your breathing while performing this
calming meditation.

VISUALIZATION

Visualization is a meditation technique that can calm you and ease stress. With
visualization, if you repeatedly focus on an idea and give it positive energy, it
will become a reality. You can do this to improve several areas of your life,
including your job, home and even health.
To perform this meditation technique, all you need to do is simply focus on
whatever is ailing you, imagine yourself healthy, calm and stress-free, and it
will eventually become reality, while creative visualization can be its own
healing and calming source.