Jyoti (Inner Light): A Source of Healing for Seasonal DepressionAccording to the ancient yogis, Jyoti is our inner source of divine light. During daylight savings time when days are shorter, people become light deprived and experience signs of Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) such as depression, lethargy, and apathy. It is at this time that they need to tap into their internal glow.
The analogy of a plant awakening and growing in sunlight, then losing its vitality, becoming limp, and recharging from the inside during the night while at rest, can help us to understand how by turning to our Jyoti, we too can better function while awake when the sun goes down and our vitality is low (we do not have the luxury to purely rest and renew like the plant during the dark hours). Though science has tried to accommodate our schedules by creating special lamps at a frequency similar to that of the sun, we cannot fill our surroundings with that light which also makes us feel energized inside. Practicing five minutes of Jyoti where you experience the light internally, has a far longer reaching effect than the external stimulation of sun lamps.
Jyoti occurs when the brain is in a relaxation similar to that of sleep, yet the person remains awake. Holding the attention to the midbrain and diencephalon region (Ajna Chakra) stimulates this inner light. Science acknowledges that there is an optical radiance that takes place in the mid brain during a state of deep relaxation.
Practice:
Count backwards from ten to zero, tapping the center of the forehead. Between each tap, pause for 2 seconds , feeling your consciousness move to that point in the center. When you reach zero use the mantra "Aim" (ah-eem) to relax and clear thought, allowing the light to remain in the mid brain region for five minutes. When finished, rub your palms together to create heat and move the energy down chakra by chakra to reground. Practice this every day in the late afternoon.
Blessings and Namaste!
Anna
Nadi Shodhana Pranayama
