Yoga instructor Maya Rook practicing “free flow yoga” at Atha Yoga in Rochester, NY. Photo contributed by Maya Rook.

Local yoga instructors believe meditation and yoga may help resolve the wave of anxiety, depression and fear plaguing people as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an outbreak like COVID often contributes to an increase in fear and grief, causing isolation, higher unemployment rates, and an increased risk for mental health problems.

Murielle Corwin and Mae Corwin, mother-daughter co-owners of Sundara Yoga in Brunswick, said they saw an uptick in yogi patrons over the summer as vaccinations were made available and the virus became less of a threat.

“As the pandemic has gone on, we are starting to see people weighing the health risk of being isolated and not moving, versus contracting COVID,” said Mae Corwin.

Originating in ancient India, yoga has been practiced for thousands of years using physical postures, breathing techniques and meditation to better connect to the mind and body.

In addition to teaching yoga, Murielle Corwin is a registered nurse who worked in the ICU during the height of the pandemic.

She said medical research has shown yoga to be very effective in alleviating depression and anxiety when combined with other mental health services like talk therapy.

A recent study performed at Brown University reported that 32.8% of adults in the U.S. experienced elevated depression symptoms in 2021, compared to 27.8% in 2020 and 8.5% before the pandemic in 2020.

The Mindfulness Center at Brown University, School of Public Health launched a strategic plan in 2019 to “Advance Well-Being for All.”

The programs offered include movement, meditation and silent retreats as part of its curriculum, which is dedicated to stress reduction and mindfulness regarding anxiety and depression.

Bath yoga instructor Maya Rook said yoga “has the ability to recognize and relate to anxiety.”

“It can bring things to the surface that we weren’t expecting to see. That is why it’s important to have an experienced teacher, a good community and a counselor to help process anything that does come up,” said Rook.

Teaching since 2019 and meditating since age 10, Rook said she recognizes that yoga may not be the cure-all for those struggling with mental health but says it can give you the chance to feel more grounded by finding “that mind-body connection.”

“Meditation helps us to remain present, even within times of turmoil and confusion. Rather than turning away from those things, it helps us relate directly to difficult situations and people in our lives,” she said.

“I think that we are living in an individualist society and people are feeling the effects emotionally and physically from a time when we were socially distancing from our loved ones,” said Mae Corwin. “Any practice that helps us build empathy and more awareness to pause before really reacting, I think is going to positively impact our own life as well as ripple out into the world,” she added.

For information about local yoga, visit illusorytime.com or sundarayogame.com/.