Monday 10th October marks World Mental Health Day, we know Yoga supports out mental health but how?
The ancient science of yoga links movement with breathing and brings connection between the mind and body. Yoga provides many obvious physical benefits – flexibility, stamina, circulatory health, to name a few – and now more than ever, we realise its important role in our mental wellness too.
Self-care is a hot topic, thankfully, as with life continuing to pick up speed all around us – we’ve got to slow down and look inward, at our own mental health.
Yoga helps our mental health by:
Relieving anxiety
Lowering depression
Promoting better sleep
Fighting fatigue
Decreasing stress
Improving focus
We know we can increase the benefits even more by practicing meditation. Many studies show that it increases focus and concentration, and lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Yoga and meditation promote relaxation – the opposite of anxiety, stress and depression. They build our ability to stay centred, which is vital for stress management. By pausing to breathe, meditate or stretch, the mind is directed away from the trigger and a biological reaction of calming begins.
Specific yoga and meditation practices stimulate our vagus nerve which is involved in our parasympathetic nervous system – our rest and digest response.
These simple practices amplify awareness of what’s happening in our body, making it possible to detect changes and early signs of mental health issues. How? One way is by teaching us to be present, rather than worrying about what’s occured in the past or what may happen in the future.
Exercise naturally increases the flow of serotonin, ‘the happy hormone’. So moving and relaxing our body calms the mind, and enhancing our mental health positively affects our physical health.
This week in all out classes we will be enjoying a Restorative Yoga practice and end each session with a guided meditation so get comfy and come and join me on the mat.
To book a class email: info@karmastudios.co.uk