Yoga for Emotional Balance: Simple Practices to Help Relieve Anxiety and Depression

by Bo Forbes

Emotional balance is within your reach—when you cultivate the intelligence of both your body and mind. Bo Forbes, a psychologist and yoga teacher, presents an integrative approach to healing anxiety, depression, and chronic stress. In this book, she offers some of her most important teachings and practices, including:

   • restorative yoga sequences designed to balance anxiety and lift depression
   • breath- and body-centered exercises to calm your mind and energize your body
   • simple ways to understand your emotional patterns
   • an overview of the three main obstacles to emotional well-being
   • five tools for building emotional balance
Rooted in classical yoga yet supported by psychology and science, the techniques in this book will help you create progressive and lasting change.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Mental Health, Self Help, Spirituality, Psychology, Personal Growth

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2011

Reviews

[Heather Pagano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psychologist and yoga teacher Bo Forbes uses the resonance between psychology and yogic philosophy to explain restorative yoga to practitioners and teachers in a manual that includes (but goes far beyond) explaining how to get into and out of the poses. She links anxiety to the rajasic guna, depression to the tamasic guna, and strives to find emotional balance (sattva). Revelations to me included: 1. that depression and anxiety are two sides of the same coin and stem from the same causes 2. that depression and anxiety often alternate day to day or even moment to moment 3. that depression and anxiety live in both the mind and body; a person experiencing a depressed body can simultaneously experience an anxious mind, and vice versa 4. that the subtler the physical experience in the pose, the easier it is for the nervous system to balance. I am still working through the exercises and postures in the process of building my own restorative practice, but I have already incorporated those exercises which most resonated with me into my own practice and teaching.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many, many books about yoga and healing, but I have to say that I particularly liked this one. It was clear, concise and felt actionable. This book is all about the idea that the body holds onto negative emotions and that the mind is not the only/complete way into understanding and accepting and ultimately growing from suffering. It presents, as author Bo Forbes describes it, 'building blocks for healing': balancing the nervous system, regulating the breath, cultivating direct experience, quieting the mind and changing our personal narratives. These are accomplished through a series of progressive breathing exercises and restorative yoga.

As a long-term yoga practitioner, I don't know if I would feel inspired to just go for it if I encountered this with no yoga experience. But, Forbes has people like me covered with compelling arguments as to why we need to add restorative yoga into our rotation of practices, and consistent reminders to constantly pay attention to what's going on in our bodies without analyzing, without running away and without judgment. It's amazing how many people practice yoga for years without doing this, and this unpacking of the mental and emotional aspects of yoga I think would be valuable to many practitioners, not just those dealing with anxiety and depression. I did these practices and they certainly had an impact both on my yoga practice and my reactivity in daily life.

Forbes also includes a series of exercises to help readers determine what's really going on with them to help them determine what mix of anxiety and/or depression focused practices would work best for them. It all feels safe, supportive and most importantly the simplicity of it is a reminder that this is a practice that requires ongoing work. Forbes also makes a compelling argument that traditional narrative-based forms of therapy to address anxiety and depression can create samskaras of their own - stories that grow in weight as they are repeated over and over again in the process of trying to release them. That's what I found so exciting about this book: the huge potential it presents grounded in such simplicity.

[Tricia Culp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I worked through this book slowly - first borrowing it from the library and then buying a copy. It is mostly about restorative yoga (simple, relaxing, supported poses you hold for a long time) and breathing. Forbes give the science behind how these things can make a profound impact in addressing anxiety and depression, and in a very easy, straightforward way gives you a roadmap to creating a practice that will work for you. Forbes is a psychologist who became a yoga instructor and found that many of her patients that were “stuck” with talk therapy alone started to make profound progress when therapeutic yoga was integrated. I am going to start using parts of her program with my special needs son to help him balance his emotions, and I will be incorporating it into my own practice. I think this book could be life changing for a lot of people.

[Kayla Grzech · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've struggled with anxiety/depression for almost all of my life, and have spent many years trying to understand why my brain works the way it does. This book explains how anxiety/depression affect more than just our minds, and how simple things like breath work, posture changes, and simple yoga practice can disrupt the negative cycles and patterns of anxiety/depression. For anyone who has practiced yoga, this book also explains why certain asanas will cause an emotional response. Forbes combines science, psychotherapy, and anecdotal evidence with the practice of yoga to not only explain why anxiety/depression is so hard to overcome, but also gives practical, step-by-step guides to simple practices one can do to slowly break free of those negative patterns.

[sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

if only I’d read this 10 years ago when it was assigned to me in yoga teacher training & I was first diagnosed with ptsd. love that you can still listen to the guided audio tracks. -1 star because I wish there was less anecdote & more science / fact-based info about the benefits of restorative yoga. also the anecdote/chapter about finding meaning in your anxiety/depression where she talks about her incredibly entitled childhood friend Eric is so fcking cringeworthy & steeped in white privilege, I can’t. furthermore, re: this chapter: self-awareness & journaling is great, but not a cure-all or substitute for therapy, especially if you are severely anxious or depressed & I think a disclaimer would be appropriate. aside from that, the poses & prop sessions are incredibly informative & inclusive, which is hard to find in many white-dominated yoga spaces.

[Trudy Bodwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I practice two kinds of yoga every day. I think restorative yoga is very important for anyone with chronic illness. It looks easy. It's harder to practice than one might think. The benefits of stillness combined with breathing have helped my chronic pain so much. I can't speak to depression, but I've found it's very helpful for anxiety. The more I practice this form of yoga, the easier it becomes and the results happen sooner.

[Kylie Poppen · Rating 4 out of 5]

a practical guide to using restorative yoga and meditational breathing to soothe depression and anxiety. at times the claims lack science instead relying on anecdotal evidence, but the encouraged practices are easy to experiment with and are nonetheless relaxing!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never really understood the value of restorative yoga until reading this book. Forbes gives a good explanation as to why and how restorative yoga is beneficial, especially for people who experinece anxiety and depression.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable and very informative. I found myself wanting to highlight most of the book! Will be coming back to this again and again. I love the healing that can come through restorative yoga. #restorativerevolution

[Mander Pander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the experience of reading something and thinking "Yes; that's what I've been feeling. That makes sense to me." And it is the relief of those feelings not being intruded on by pseudo-science, shaming, the cult of work, or multi level marketing.
It's just healing.

[Shannon McGivney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff. I'm looking forward to try some of it.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thankful for these effective practices to stay balanced in our ever challenging world. Thanks Bo!

[Melody Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bo Forbes, a longtime therapist and also a yoga practitioner, struggled with the disconnect she saw between the physical and emotional therapy worlds. Often, she says, “we can feel, rather than think, the emotional experiences that heal us.” Instead of just talking through emotional patterns, she began introducing breathwork and restorative yoga poses into her clients’ therapy plans.

This was a time before the emotionally healing benefits of yoga truly took hold in Western society, and Forbes was amazed by the transformation she saw in her patients. Rather than repeating the same mental “stories” over and over in therapy sessions, her patients began to address—and overcome—their negative emotional patterns by physically incorporating emotional balance.

Restorative yoga is based on the idea that the mind and the body speak to each other more often when we think. It combines the physical motions of yoga with the mental workout of meditation, thereby embodying the emotional healing process.

Forbes presents the medical explanations for why yoga has such an astounding effect on our health, and she introduces five ways to transform one’s emotional patterns: calming the nervous system; regulating the breath; connecting with direct experience; quieting the mind; and changing the narratives you tell yourself that reflect your self-concept and world view.

She then outlines the differences between those who suffer anxiety, depression, or some blend of both. According to the kind of anxiety-depression afflicting you—and this can change as your emotional patterns change—Forbes then recommends restorative poses that will help calm or reinvigorate your nervous system.

I truly enjoyed this book. It illuminates the often murky world of emotional imbalance, while also offering simple, no-equipment-required solutions. This review could’ve been a lot longer; I underlined and bookmarked countless passages. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a medicine-free way to ease stress and develop healthy emotional patterns.

For a full review, visit Melody & Words!

[Cindywho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm lucky because I actually get to take yoga classes from this teacher - so I was curious about her book. The execution is a little awkward with some repetition and a few odd bits, but the techniques and information that she imparts are very interesting and helpful. She integrates insight meditation with breath and restorative yoga, with the intent of getting the mind and body on board with healing anxiety and depression. I haven't yet attempted the yoga part outside of class, but the breathing is great for calming anxiety. She is an active trainer of yoga teachers, so I hope the adoption of her techniques will expand into yoga land.

[Kandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you suffer from anxiety, depression, or a combination of both and want something natural to restore your equilibrium, I would recommend this book. Forbes, who has a background in clinical psychology, maps out the benefits of restorative yoga as well as other psychologically supportive methods which can assist anyone having issues in these areas. Even if you only have the occasional episode of stress or sadness, the restorative yoga sequences outlined in this book are extremely useful. I would also recommend this book for yoga teachers interested in the emotional component and challenges inherent in working with some of their students.

[Abby Rosmarin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best books on yoga's impact on your personal and emotional life. Usually books that string yoga practices in with mental well-being can get very self-helpy. The authors would usually come across as more-enlightened-than-thou and it would be a pill to get through the book. This book is written like a best friend with a good set of knowledge on a subject is talking to you. It's easy to read, easy to digest, and even easier to take away the important lessons. I'm one of those people who thinks she needs a super-active yoga practice in order to be "calm" enough for things like savasana. After this book, I signed up for my first restorative yoga class.

[Emily Kestrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yoga is an amazing tool for balancing the emotions, and the body, and I would recommend yoga to just about anybody. I am a bit less sure about this book. It has some good insights, but ultimately is not a "keeper" for me. I bought it a few years ago (though only now got around to reading it), when I was suffering from a lot of anxiety. (Ultimately, I "cured" my problem, unexpectedly, by a change in diet, which I only noticed a while after the fact. So I ended up not needing this book after all.)

[Andrea Hickman Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't always do yoga the way I want to (though perhaps if I spent more time with my yoga for chronic pain book I would), and restorative yoga is fantastic for those times. Especially for someone with both anxiety and depression. The breathing exercises are fantastic (though my favourite for calming down remains alternate nostril breathing - the 1:2 ratio seems way too hard sometimes!) and I like that I can do most of the postures with as many assisting props as necessary on the day.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost never read non-fiction books all the way through (I skim the first few chapters) but this one I read at least enough of that I felt like I could add it to my "read" books list. It is one of the most helpful books about anxiety, depression, and mind/body meditation I have read (okay, skimmed).

[Amaris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great information and an amazing approach to how meditation and yoga can help ease the burden of anxiety and depression, but I felt like I kept reading the same information over in each chapter, which definitely got old fast. However, I love the meditations she offers, definitely worth it for those.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book finally helped me understand what the point of meditation is, or rather, exactly what meditation is doing in the brain. It always seemed like such a pointless exercise to me, boring and a waste of time. Then the author linked the idea of samskaras in Indian philosophy to the idea of neuroplasticity, and suddenly it makes complete sense to me.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content was interesting, but became predictable after a couple of chapters. I liked the insights on the emotional and physical connection. I hated how few pictures there were! If you talk about a yoga position you should insert a picture. So only somewhat helpful for me.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a clear and helpful book. From breathing practices to restorative poses, the author provides lots of guidance, so that even a novice student of yoga can receive much benefit. I am VERY glad I read this book!

[Valerie Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it enough that I bought it after renting from the library. I'm interested in meditation and coming more into balance emotionally, so this book was perfect for me. It also makes me want to start up my Western-style yoga practice again!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple effective and hopeful practices and approaches. If you take just one or two things from this book your state, and therefore life, will be better and easier. It is refreshing to see an approach to anxiety and depression that gets out of the mind. Read this book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually reading through this book put me to sleep, but the exercises are very helpful, I even led some sessions of 1:2 breathing in my office! I had taken a few restorative yoga classes but didn't really "get it" and so it was good to know more of the underlying theory.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book that describes body and depression/anxiety in a unique way, with practices for all. Gets into greater nuance about restorative yoga than any book I've seen. I would have liked to have seen a few more pose sequences, but other books do that nicely. A good addition to my yoga shelf.

[Stephanie Elms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic information and I have found the poses extremely helpful in centering myself when I need them. I was really amazed to see how my body reacted differently to the anxiety vs the depression poses.

[Jay Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book mostly for the practices in the back dedicated to depression/anxiety relief. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a way to make change, as an addition to a mental health regimen.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to skim and still can glean pertinent information.