{"id":23710,"date":"2021-06-04T15:57:41","date_gmt":"2021-06-04T19:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apn.com\/dfw\/?p=23710"},"modified":"2022-05-21T15:14:46","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T21:14:46","slug":"benefits-of-yoga-on-your-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apn.com\/dfw\/resources\/benefits-of-yoga-on-your-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Benefits of Yoga on Your Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

The practice of yoga originated thousands of years ago at the dawn of civilization and is still practiced today, by many. Yoga is the spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body1<\/sup>. It is the union between your mind, body and nature, bringing spiritual consciousness to one\u2019s self. When establishing a healthy consciousness or self-realization, you are able to overcome your sufferings and walk freely through life.<\/p>\n

Today, many consider yoga to be the art and science of healthy living. With over 15 million U.S. adults practicing yoga2<\/sup>, many have seen positive benefits in their daily lives, especially to their mental health. Studies have shown that yoga can help to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

The Benefits to Your Nervous System<\/h2>\n

In the simplest terms, the nervous system is made up of all your nerve cells, throughout your body. It\u2019s how we communicate, taking in information through our senses, processing that information, which in-turn, triggers a reaction3<\/sup>. There are many different systems that make up our nervous system, that include how we prepare for physical and mental activity, while other parts do the opposite and help us to cool down while we rest.<\/p>\n

There are several ways yoga can help alleviate symptoms due to stress. Combining asanas (yoga postures), pranayama (breath work), and dhyana (meditation) are proven and effective tools to reduce anxiety, stress, anger, and depression, all aspects that affect your nervous systems negatively.<\/p>\n

Yoga reverses the negative effects that stress has on our bodies, especially those that are long term. Practicing yoga also gives you tools, on and off the yoga mat, to ease you through the difficult poses of a class and to help ease you through the difficult areas of life.<\/p>\n

You can learn to breathe through uncomfortable poses, situations, or experiences and you can learn to stand strong through hard and challenging (not life-threatening) poses and situations that may evoke that all too familiar flight or fight response.<\/p>\n

Practice Yoga to Ease Regular Discomfort<\/h2>\n

Stress is a regular part of our everyday life and keeping a regular yoga routine can help you manage that daily stress. When your body is going through stressful situations, a flood of hormones are being released into your body. Adrenaline, Cortisol, and Norepinephrine4<\/sup> are the three major hormones and if they are constantly being released, as mentioned before, can wreak havoc on your body. Keeping a regular yoga practice can help move these chemicals through your body and alleviate that stress.<\/p>\n

Physical<\/h3>\n

Stress can physically arise in your body in many different ways. Aches and pains, headaches, and especially a stiff neck and back are the most common ways this discomfort is displayed. Having a physical yoga practice will help move and ease this stiffness, tension and discomfort out of your body. Asana practices themselves, can create a level of discomfort in your body and learning to push through this physical discomfort teaches strength, determination and stamina.<\/p>\n

Emotional<\/h3>\n

There are certain areas of the body that hold our emotions, one area in particular is the hips. Practicing poses that open up the hips are ideal for releasing emotions. Often times, people seemingly cry for no reason during yoga classes, this is due to releasing emotional tension from stress, trauma or other mental health issues.<\/p>\n

Mental<\/h3>\n

Yoga is mentally tough. Learning to control your thoughts can be difficult. The best way to learn this skill is through meditation, which can be used as a practice in and of itself or through each and every pose. Learning to talk yourself through a difficult pose, or to change your negative thinking into positive thinking, takes a lot of practice. Therefore, by practicing meditation, you will help to ease and discomfort of your mental health and get back to a more positive state.<\/p>\n

Choosing the best practice for your physical ability and mental health needs is extremely important when deciding to recover from stress and anxiety.<\/p>\n

The Best Yoga Poses and Practices for Noticeable Benefits<\/h2>\n

Child’s Pose<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Benefits:<\/em><\/p>\n