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Having a mental health problem can make it difficult to cope with the daily stresses of life. Medication may help a sufferer cope with their condition, but even the best of those lose their efficacy over time. We suggest that you try yoga as a complementary therapy to resolve your mental health issues if you seek something that could improve your situation.
Starting yoga does not have to be complicated. You could practice it at home by getting a yoga for beginners DVD to start you out. Many others have tried yoga for their mental health and have found it to have surprising benefits.
Does a Person Notice Improvement in Mental Health Immediately?
You notice the benefits of yoga as soon as you start to practice it. We have seen some people get hooked to yoga after an initial session. Some people have noticed an improvement in mood and sleep quality after just one yoga session. The mindfulness, sweating, and stretching helps you to connect with your body.
You do not need much time to practice yoga to get its benefits. Just a few minutes sitting in the sun and getting in touch with your breathing can help clear your mind. We would also recommend stretching for a few minutes in the morning to pump up your energy to face the day.
According to the Psychology Today website, yoga can improve your mental health by lowering stress, improving concentration, increasing peace, and a sense of well-being. The same article in the Psychology Today website opines that yoga is an effective alternative to psychotherapy. If you are struggling with your mental health and have not found something that works well, we propose you try yoga.
Here below, we outline the mental health benefits of practicing yoga and hope the mental health tips we share will benefit you.
Practicing Yoga Alleviates Symptoms of Certain Mental Health Conditions
Regular yoga practice improves well-being, lowers stress levels, improves anxiety symptoms, fatigue, energy, and depression. Alongside the mental health benefits of yoga, practicing it reduces blood pressure and improves heart rate.
Yoga also improves mood, reduces anxiety, and decreases PTSD and anger. Yoga helps reduce depression. Many people who practice yoga say they feel good afterward, which is why they believe it works. Exercise also improves mental health significantly when you include yoga. In recent years, yoga is not recommended as the primary therapy to treat mental health issues, mainly when the problems are significant.
It Has Long Term Benefits for Mental Health
Yoga has long-lasting benefits on mental health. We recommend using any of the many yoga tools, such as affirmations, mantras, meditation, breathing, and physical postures, to balance the emotional and physical body.
An individual in better emotional and mental health has a greater awareness of themselves and is better integrated with themselves and their surroundings. A person practicing yoga also develops better focus and capacity to remember issues.
Emphasizes Connection Between Mind and Body
Yoga involves enhanced awareness and conscious thought, which improves the mind-body connection and fosters improved mental health. You will see the optimal benefits of yoga when there is the full engagement of mind and body, which brings on full benefits for mental health.
Some complimentary doctors have found the therapeutic effects of yoga are so beneficial to mental health that they prescribe it alongside medications for mental health for some of their patients. A 2019 study found that depressed patients who used yoga alongside their medicines improved compared to those who did not practice it.
Yoga Builds Confidence
When you practice yoga, you become more mindful and aware of your posture. You learn to breathe deeply, and healthfully which is beneficial for relaxation and mental health. Engaging in yoga helps build confidence, endurance, and strength.
It is particularly useful in dealing with trauma such as PTSD. Some studies have found yoga to be as effective as talk therapy. For someone who may have psychosis, practicing yoga may reduce or limit the symptoms. If your mental health suffers in the workplace, yoga may positively impact your occupational and social functioning.
It Helps You Rest Easier
People with mental illnesses may not rest easy and have adrenaline highs where they remain in a fight or flight state. Since yoga is so relaxing, the tense state is changed, so you feel rested and comfortable.
When practicing yoga, you breathe deeply and calm your central nervous system. You relax, and your anxiety levels drop significantly.
Yoga Helps You Build a Better Relationship with Yourself
When you practice yoga, the me-time you invest in yourself helps you affirm a more positive self-image. You take better care of yourself and exercise more and eat healthier. You develop a non-judgmental relationship with yourself, trust yourself more, develop a more balanced ego, and feel at ease.
We have seen students who practice yoga to develop more courage, confidence, and an ability to engage in difficult conversations and remain in difficult situations. A person who remains with the symptoms of mental illness may not be able to do the preceding with ease.
Helps One Deal Better With Trauma
Yoga helps one connect with that part of the primitive mind that is responsible for survival and maintenance. Practicing yoga helps those individuals with trauma sit with unpleasant experiences and still feel safe when in a healthy environment.
Traumatic experiences can be rather unpleasant and can lead the sufferer to live with terror. People who have experienced trauma may find that they resist being with emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations such that they experience a complete shutdown of their minds and bodies.
Conclusion
If you have been wondering how to improve mental health, we propose you try yoga. You can practice it at home or elsewhere. We believe the benefits you will reap could be impressive. And if you have already started enjoying some yoga sessions, let us know in the comments section below how it has impacted your life and mental health.
Author’s Bio
Alex Green is a copywriter with 3 years of experience. He is fond of healthy living and knows everything about home improvement. In his spare time, Alex likes walking with his golden retriever, meeting with friends, and attending the gym.
