Affirmation for Beating Depression

Here is a simple set of affirmations that may help you know your own true nature, beneath whatever mood state is visiting. This affirmation can help you with overcoming your depression. Remember, no matter how rotten you feel, your true nature is not depressed. This series of affirmations can help you understand that at the deepest level. You may practice this while sitting on a meditation cushion or in a chair, or at your desk in the middle of a hectic day.

1. Close your eyes. As you inhale through your nostrils, say to yourself, “I am not my depressed mood.”

2. Sustain your breath as is comfortable, or for four counts if you can, as you visualize the face of a being you love (2-legged or 4-legged, it doesn’t matter).

3. Exhale slowly and repeat to yourself, “I am,” up to six times. Repeat this sequence at least three times.

You may change the first phrase to reflect what you are feeling in the moment, for example: “I am not this anxious mood,” or “I am not this tired body,” or “I am not this chaotic mind.” Always end with the exhale and with the repetition of “I am.”

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Mark Twain said that if we talked to our children the way we talk to ourselves, they would arrest us for child abuse! When you are aware that you are experiencing a lot of negative self-talk or depression, start doing the affirmations. If it is helpful for you, sometimes having a CD or mp3 with affirmations that you can follow can make it easier to break the cycle of negative self-talk. Try the LifeForce Yoga Bhavana—Say Yes to Yourself CD to help you stop beating yourself up.

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.

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