# DP and Yoga



## Jane (Aug 14, 2006)

I had my first class tonight and I'm a little bit worried about it because I heard that some people actually got their DP from yoga. I have a question for anyone on the boards who has tried yoga. Did it help your DP or make it worse? I came across a precaution on a yoga website:

Dissociative Disorders
People diagnosed with a dissociative disorder should not attempt advanced forms of pranayama (yogic breathing) without the supervision of an experienced teacher. Some yogic breathing exercises may trigger symptoms of derealization or depersonalization in these patients.

But the problem is, I don't know what pranayama is. Is it just the deep breathing that is done in yoga? Because they recommend that for anxiety disorders so one would think it would help DP/DR. My DP stems from anxiety so I'm not sure what to think about this yoga stuff. I definitely don't want to slip into a permanent trance or something. Anybody familiar with yoga who could tell me how it affected their DP?


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## jeanie82 (Nov 6, 2006)

Pranayama, I believe, is an old old wooden ship.

Ha just kidding, that just came out as I was typing.

Seriously, I think it is a type of meditative breathing, more full-on than the deep breathing you do in Yoga that is designed for relaxation. Deep meditation has put people into dissosciative states before, but I don't know about plain old Yoga.


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## widescreened (Jun 22, 2005)

Hey. i dont think that anything like yoga or Taichi should be discouraged. YOu mostly will be doing stretching and breathing exercises and if you start with beginners classes you will be able to chart your own progress and push yourself as you feel you are able in your own time.

There is a form of breathwork called rebirthing that should b avoided. Im not sure if it is included in yoga, i doubt it is. It involves hyperventillation and would be unsutible for anyone with emotional issues.

Go for it, and see how you get on. It could be just the thing needed for you.


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## Pablo (Sep 1, 2005)

Pranayama is advanced breath control and is only really done by advanced students after a long period of asana practice. I did it for a few months and it did calm my thoughts a lot but it felt like I was on drugs and felt a bit more spacey so I stopped.

Doing basic yoga you have nothing to worry about, you will be doing deep breathing while getting into your body so it might feel strange but there is no danger in it, you will probably feel great afterwards.


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## Dreamland (Jun 1, 2005)

If you want a good exercise to make you feel grounded or real again then try this Qigong technique.......

http://www.chionline.com/qigong/ground.htm


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## FloatingRoberto (Dec 6, 2006)

Yoga eased my life, but I have solely done your average yoga. Relaxation techniques are good for my nerves and those slow stretching movements gave me more agility. Yet it did some strange things, sometimes I got pretty energetic after a class and the other times more tired. But it felt always better. Too bad I'm too busy to do yoga lately... Thanks for the post, it reminds me to try tuesday.

Oh, by the way, always try yoga with a class, not alone.  Let an experienced guy see if you're doing it right. Also they often have scented candles, nice lighting and a good floor


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## Beth (Sep 27, 2004)

I'd imagine that yoga and tai chi must be good for dped people, since they don't involve disconnecting mentally from your body like sitting meditation often does. You can always skip any breathing exercises if they do make you feel weird. Although I've got a book of Hindu breathing exercises and they make me feel more grounded, not less. Maybe you could mention to your teacher what you want from Yoga, you wouldn't have to talk about dp, you could just talk in terms of feeling connected to your body.

How did the first class go?


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## Guest (May 3, 2007)

DP and YOGA don't mix with me.
Actually that's not true, its the deep meditation at the end of the sessions.
I am going to cheat and just paste what I have already said in another post RE: Yoga.

I got to the stage where I was willing to try anything to relax and yoga was one of them. 
I went to one session, the yoga itself was OK but the meditation we did at the end of the session was a little weird, I couldn't think straight. 
The instructor said that I went too far under ?, I just seemed to make me feel worse, I couldn't drive for about half an hour. 
While the instructor lead us through the meditation I started to feel relaxed, but then I (And this is going to sound weird) I felt like I wasn't myself, I felt like I was part of everything, I felt like I had become one with everything. 
See I told you it sounds weird 
It was a little freaky, when I came out of it everyone else had left apart from the instructor, I had been laying there for about 15 Min's longer. 
But like I said, it made me feel a little sick/weird. End post.

Since then I have been able to meditate, I just don't take it as far.

Greg


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