Yoga is a centuries long health practice with roots starting in India that has become widely practiced all around the world. The holistic practice of yoga and approach to well-being involves unique physical poses, stretching, breath control and meditation. While yoga is known for its many physical health benefits, the impact of the exercise on mental health is extremely beneficial as well.
Yoga develops inner awareness, focusing your attention on your body’s abilities at the present moment.
Let’s look at how practicing yoga can help with mental health issues such as stress, depression, anxiety and help keep you mindful and present in life.
Reduces stress
In today’s world everyone is working harder than ever to just create a better life for themselves. Most people are juggling jobs, dealing with family issues and friendships, and it gets overwhelming for most. Yoga provides an outlet for this sense of being overwhelmed with life’s issues.
At its basic standpoint yoga involves creating physical postures that help relieve tension in the muscles. Doing so allows the body to relax in a natural state. Yoga also focuses on controlling your breathing. Through breath controlling techniques, you will help activate the nervous system creating a calmness in the body helping to reduce stress hormones like cortisol. Additionally, the meditation techniques learned by practicing yoga will help with mindfulness and better focus allowing the person to find a more centered way of life and inner peace.
Helps manage anxiety
Anxiety is a major issue across the working class and more in the United States. Practicing yoga can help alleviate the tension and pressure that leads to these feelings of anxiety. Yoga allows people to foster a sense of control and stability in life. The practice encourages rhythmic styles of breathing. Deep calm breaths are used that helps calm the nervous system and reduces the physiological aspects of anxiety and the issues surrounding it like heightened heart rates and shallow breathing.
Yoga also provides a sense of grounding that helps the person find balance in their life, so they no longer feel overwhelmed with the daily task of bills, taking care of the kids, a home and so on. The meditative aspects of yoga will provide self-awareness and enhance self-worth by allowing practitioners to find themselves in a deeper and more meaningful way during practice sessions along with recognizing what is really causing the stress in their lives.
Alleviates depression
Depression affects thousands if not millions of people across the country. Yoga has been shown to help alleviate these symptoms of depression by boosting the person’s mood. Practicing yoga helps increase the neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, the core natural chemicals that provide happiness and comfort. Along with the chemical aspects of yoga it also provides a sense of comfort because yoga is often practiced in groups. By being part of a group who are all looking to achieve similar goals it provides a community of connection and support. This is critical for those suffering from depression as it shows them, they are part of something bigger and not alone in whatever they may be dealing with.
Enhances mindfulness
The idea and practice of being present and fully engaged in your current moment is a core aspect of practicing yoga. This state of awareness has many benefits when it comes to mental health. Many of these benefits include improving emotional regulation through the body and a variety of mental health problems, a few are listed above. Through yoga the person finds mindful movement and meditation and learns to observe their thoughts and emotions without worrying about outside stimulus or judgement. While practicing yoga the person also learns greater self-awareness and emotional resilience. Enhancing mindfulness promotes more accurate decision making and problem-solving skills as the people using this form of health treatment become more attuned to their body and mind.
The mental health benefits of yoga have been well documented over the years. There are scores of studies showing the practice’s many health benefits. By integrating the tools you learn through yoga such as breath control, stretching, meditation and so on, you can learn to use these techniques to help with your mental well-being. Yoga is known to reduce stress, help with anxiety and depression, all leading to a healthier and happier life. It doesn’t matter if you have been practicing yoga for a decade or are a beginner, using this health practice provides much more than just the physical health benefits and can possibly help you lead a better life mentally. As with all health regimens be sure to speak with your personal physician beforehand.
