How Yoga and Meditation Heals a Broken Heart. It seems to be a right of passage for all humans; we must experience a broken heart, in one way or another.
Be it the dissolution of a romantic relationship, the loss of a loved one or beloved pet, or the realization of unrealized dreams,, a broken heart is a spiritual dark night of the soul that finds us all at some stage throughout our unique journeys.
Yoga has been used to maintain optimal health and heal wounded or aging bodies for thousands of years; there are even sacred Sanskrit texts on Tantric Yoga that are used to preserve and enhance sexual health and achieve spiritual enlightenment.
However, did you know that Yoga and meditation (Dharana) can be effective in treating a broken heart?
Read on to see how Yoga and meditation heals a broken heart and helps you grow from trauma.
Broken Heart the Science
Many people know that loss or turmoil can have a powerful physiological effect on the people that are grieving or suffering in an unfortunate situation.
Many people can experience any number of ill effects from a broken heart, including:
- Nausea
- Fatigue and exhaustion
- Insomnia
- Muscle pain
- Loss and increased appetite
- Panic attacks and hyperventilation
- Dizziness and more
Not only do traumatic, heartbreaking experiences affect the body, they can also have a devastating effect on a person’s ongoing psychological health.
Heartbreak can leave people experiencing adverse psychological conditions such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Paranoia
- Disassociation
- Agoraphobia and more
Particularly heartbreaking experiences have also unfortunately even led to some poor people taking their own lives.
However, did you know that a broken heart can be more than a metaphor for loss and longing?
Although often the physical effects of heartbreak are psychosomatic, there are some cases where a broken heart has been an official medical diagnosis.
The medical term for broken heart syndrome is Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy. It is diagnosed when acute emotional stress, be it positive or negative, causes the left heart ventricle to be paralyzed or ‘stunned’.
However, this condition is rarely permanent and does not leave any permanent damage like a heart attack.
How Yoga and Meditation Heals a Broken Heart
People turn to many different things when they suffer a broken heart, and many of these coping mechanisms are considered less than healthy, especially in Western culture.
If we haven’t turned to these self-care solutions ourselves, most of us will know someone who has. These harmful coping mechanisms could include:
- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Overeating
- Sleep deprivation
- Starvation and more
A better way to cope with loss is to seek counsel, delve into personal reflection, improve diet, practice mindfulness and gratitude as well as regular exercise.
One practice that ties all these healthy coping strategies together is thousands of years old, and that is Yoga.
Yoga and Dharana to Heal the Heart
While you should confer with your health care provider if symptoms are getting extreme, a broken heart just needs time to heal more often than not.
Yoga and meditation are a great way to get in touch with our inner self, find the energy to heal and grow emotionally, and ensure that our physical health stays in balance whilst navigating our loss or trauma.
Acute or extended periods of stress is one of the worst things for our mind and physical body.
Severe stress can throw out our sympathetic nervous system, locking us in our fight or flight mode, which, in time, creates discord and chronic disease in the mind and body.
Meditation helps calm the mind and soothe the sympathetic nervous system, helping you maintain clarity and release mental pressure while dealing with heartbreak.
When you are highly stressed, it is quite common to disassociate from the body, making it easier to fall into destructive coping mechanisms and bad habits.
Performing Yoga asanas helps you stay connected to your body and inspires you to take care of your temple and vehicle, which needs extra care when under duress from heartbreak.
Remember, in cases where your conditions worsen; it is essential to seek medical advice.
However, if you know that hearts heal in time, and you want to take better care of yourself during times of heartbreak, then Yoga can be a great tool to help you through to the other side of trauma.
When you apply the profound philosophies of Yoga into your most trying times, you may even find you come out of your heartbreak a better, stronger and more balanced person than ever before.
Have you turned to Yoga to mend the broken heart or get through a personal crisis? Did you incorporate mediation in your path to healing and redemption?
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Trigger warning/Content warning
This article contains content about personal trauma, mental health and suicide. Life can be challenging, and asking for help is an act of strength.
If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health concerns or a crisis, we urge you to speak to your health care provider or find a mental health professional.
Help is available, and people do care. We urge you to contact lifeline online or call 13 11 14 to connect to their 24/7 crisis support line in emergencies.
