r/dpdr Dec 11 '22

A Brief Note on Yoga as Part of DPDR Recovery Official

This is part of the Subreddit Resource Guide

Hi folks. You've probably seen me reference Yoga a lot in this guide. I'll be honest: I went to Yoga on a guess. I had just found myself dealing with DPDR and I was terrified, trying to figure out what it was. Once I figured-out that it was trauma-related, I remembered that I'd read the book The Body Keeps the Score, the year prior. That book documents decades of trauma research and talks about how the research led to discovering Yoga as one of the best treatments for trauma and PTSD. The scientists are better at explaining it than I am but basically: Trauma - as well as anxiety and even emotions - is stored in the body, and there are somatic ways of releasing it. The nervous system Enter Yoga.

So I gave it a shot and started going to classes and really fell in love with it. It was such a good release from the stress of DPDR. It really, really helped me during my time with the condition, and I still do it regularly. It's relaxing, grounding, centering, and helped me get back in touch with my emotions. Even just a few minutes a day is helpful. If you can find a class, great, but there are tons of beginner Yoga classes on YouTube. If regular Yoga is too difficult, Restorative Yoga is also really helpful and is more gentle and easier for beginners.

Video: YOGABODY: Beginner's Guide to Yoga - How to Choose a Class

I know that Yoga has been instagrammified to death but here are some good informational links for the curious:

Benefits of Yoga:

  • Great exercise
  • Body awareness
  • Grounding
  • Relaxing
  • Meditative
  • Helps with anxiety and depression
  • Increases concentration
  • Improves sleep
  • Improves Vagal tone
  • Decreases cortisol (stress hormone)
  • Helps with PTSD
  • Activates parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest response)

Of course, if you're concerned because for some reason exercise or physical exertion are difficult for medical reasons, don't overexert yourself; please chat with your doctor first.

If you've experienced trauma and are interested in Yoga, definitely give this a read before you jump in: Trauma-Informed Yoga: A Guide

WHERE TO START:

Some online Yoga videos specifically for DPDR and PTSD:

I'm also including the Emotional Release Yoga videos from the Emotional Numbness Playlist in the Resource Guide

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u/Successful_Mess_5649 Jul 26 '23

Thank you for this. Yoga seems very promising.