Amy Weintraub on Arizona Public Media

Yoga Teacher Treats Her Own Depression, Shows Others

Scientific research shows that yoga as a means of therapy can be an effective treatment for depression, says a Tucson yoga therapist and yoga teacher.

Amy Weintraub says she was able to stop taking medication for depression, replacing it with meditation and her yoga practice many years ago. Since then, she has spread the word by becoming a teacher and yoga therapist and writing extensively about the benefits.

“What yoga does is it actually begins to change the physiology,” Weintraub says. “As you begin to deepen your breath, your posture changes. So for most people who have depression or mood disorders, they may have a physiological look of depression: Their shoulders are rounded, their humped over. There’s not a lot happening in the solar plexus.”

Deeper breathing stimulates the nerves and thus the brain.

“It deactivates the limbic brain,” she says. “That’s very important for those people who have a history of trauma.”

She says that in her own case, she began feeling better through the deeper breathing that yoga and accompanying meditation brought to her, so that she was able to wean herself from her medication.

Weintraub then went into training psychotherapists to show them how to help their clients “to empower them to manage their moods.”

Her book, “Yoga Skills for Therapists– No Mat Required,” was requested by a publisher recognizing that psychotherapists needed the physiological knowledge that yoga had brought to her to deal with her own depression.

About the Author

Amy Weintraub

Amy Weintraub E-RYT 500, MFA, YACEP, C-IAYT, founded the LifeForce Yoga® Healing Institute, which trains yoga and health professionals internationally, and is the author of Yoga for Depression and Yoga Skills for Therapists. The LifeForce Yoga protocol is used by health care providers worldwide. She is involved in ongoing research on the effects of yoga on mood.

One thought on “Amy Weintraub on Arizona Public Media”

  1. Sue Tebb says:

    This is a very positive interview and support of LifeForce Yoga and your new book; it emphasizes that more and more of us in the health/mental health fields are bringing these skills into practice and we need what you offer to make our work more effective with clients.

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“I have been reminded that I am not on this path alone, that others are sharing the journey that sometimes seems so difficult. I have also been reminded of the importance of daily practice and I will do that. The whole program has been an incredible experience for me. Thank you!” — Lorraine Plauth, retired teacher, Voorheesville, NY
“I came hoping to learn to move past some of the obstacles blocking my creativity. Over the course of this weekend, I feel I’ve gained a certain measure of faith in myself and in my ability to change. I also had some realizations that I believe will be very helpful to me. I feel encouraged. Both the content and presentation of this program were so well-thought out that I can’t think of any way to improve it.” — Andrea Gollin, writer & editor, Miami, FL
“I gained tools for working with my own depression and with my clients’ depressions.” — Robert Sgona, LCSW, RYT, psychotherapist, Yoga teacher, Camden, ME.
“This program changed my life in a significant way. It helped me connect with the spirit which is something you can’t get from psychotherapy and medication.” – G. W., artist, Pittsburgh, PA
“I have gained a softer heart, more receptive mind, and tools to enrich both personal and professional aspects of my life.” – Regina Trailweaver, LICSW, clinical social worker, Hancock, VT.
“Giving my clients a strategy and permission to quiet their minds and rebalance the sympathetic nervous system has been very beneficial to them and in our work together.” — Sue Dilsworth, PhD, RYT 200, LFYP, Allendale, MI
I absolutely love this stuff! I have been using it with my clients and I am just finding it to be so incredibly helpful. There seriously something for everything. Although I am not as skilled as I hope to be someday, even at my level of training I’m finding that I am beginning to figure out what to do. It just blows my mind! - Christine Brudnicki, MS, LPC
“Yoga Skills for Therapists is the ideal resource for those who want to bring yoga practices into psychotherapy or healthcare. Weintraub, a leader in the field of yoga therapy, offers evidence-based, easy-to-introduce strategies for managing anxiety, improving mood, and relieving suffering. Helpful clinical insights and case examples emphasize safety, trust, and skillful adaptation to the individual, making it easy to apply the wisdom of yoga effectively in the therapeutic context.” — Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author, Yoga for Pain Relief, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Yoga Therapy
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“A client who returned said, "When I came before, you helped me understand and get where I wanted to go. Now you show me yoga practices I use to help myself understand and get where I want to go.” — Sherry Rubin, LCSW, BCD, LFYP, Downingtown, PA
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