The Mental Health Benefits of Yoga
It is no secret that, over the past few years, our global mental health has seen a decline. There is a multitude of reasons for this, and it doesn’t seem to matter who you are or where you live; there is always a chance that you are going to have a dark cloud seemingly hanging over you.
For many of us, the time may have come to decide that enough is enough and we need to try and take charge of our own mental health.
This means looking at ways that can help us to feel stronger (mentally, that is) and ready to take on the world around us.
You may not realise it, but there are plenty of mental health benefits to choosing yoga. To help inspire you to try it out for yourself, I have put together some of the main ones.
Yoga helps your brain release feel-good chemicals
It is important to remember that negative feelings are often linked to the chemicals that are released from the brain into the body. If you don’t have enough serotonin or dopamine in your blood, then you are going to find it much harder to be upbeat and positive about the world around you.
When you do some yoga, you are encouraging your brain to release some of these mood-boosting chemicals into your body. Not only this, but you will also increase your heart rate, even if it is just a small amount, which will help to push those fantastic chemicals all around your entire body.
Yoga can reduce stress
We all face stress from time to time in our lives, and depending on the nature of the stress or the longevity of how long we need to deal with it, this can have a negative impact on the way that we feel.
During yoga, you are encouraged to both tighten and then relax your key muscles; this movement will then reduce tension in your body, which will then leave you feeling much less stressed.
The environment in which you practice your yoga will also have an impact on you and your stress levels. It is always calm and peaceful, and you are going to be encouraged to leave those feelings of worry at the door before you come in.
It can help with anxiety
Yoga has been proven to be a helping hand when it comes to anxiety. Anxiety can, at times, be improved using certain breathing techniques, and these breathing techniques are often taught to you during yoga sessions.
Once you learn them at yoga, you can then use these breathing techniques as a way to manage your anxiety during your everyday life. Ensuring that you reduce your risk of panic attacks and any other impacts of your feelings of anxiety.
It is social
Another great thing about yoga is that, for the most part, it is a social activity. Whilst there are going to be times of quiet contemplation and calm, there are also times when you are going to be able to chat with those around you.
If you regularly attend yoga sessions, then there is a very good chance that, over time you will make some great friends.
As you can see, there are lots of great benefits to choosing yoga as your activity. So, what are you waiting for? If you’d like to come and try it out for yourself, your first class with me is free! Click here to get your free class pass.
