It is an evident fact that yoga has a positive impact on your mental health. It activates the relaxation response, lowers stress hormone levels, promotes calmness, reduces the physiological symptoms of stress in your body, and allows you to unwind your mind.
While the benefits of yoga are numerous, you also need to know how yoga impacts your mental health positively this International Yoga Day. Here are six ways yoga can help you. Let's find out!
It Helps You Manage Anxiety And Depression
Yoga can help you reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. It promotes the release of a neurotransmitter that regulates your mood and anxiety. Regularly practising yoga can help you alleviate your anxiety symptoms and improve your overall well-being and mental health.
Depression is often your reaction to a terrible event like a loved one's death or rejection. Yoga can make a big difference in such times as it lifts your spirits and avoids despair during depression. Yoga asanas improve your blood flow to the brain. These asanas help you heal the scars and trauma embedded in your body and mind. So, this International Yoga Day, think about sparing some time for yoga.
It Regulates Your Emotions
Yoga enhances your emotional intelligence and self regulation skills. Yoga helps you regulate your emotions with mindful movements, breath awareness, and meditation. Once you begin practising yoga, you learn to observe and manage your emotions effectively. It reduces reactivity and cultivates your emotional balance.
Yoga helps you accept your emotions which is also a crucial part of regulating them. It ensures you notice emotions that come up during yoga and acknowledge them without judgment. Not only this, but yoga also teaches you to practice acceptance which is crucial to regulate your emotions. So, this International Yoga Day, try yoga to avoid getting consumed by emotions personally or professionally.
It Increases Your Self Awareness
Self awareness is your ability to focus on your actions, thoughts, or emotions. Yoga is one such practice that can help you learn more about yourself. It encourages you to tune into the present moment and observe all your sensations, thoughts, and emotions without judgment. This process helps you foster self awareness and self acceptance eventually. It allows you to be more passionate towards yourself. Hence, adding yoga to your daily routine makes sense, and there is no better way to start than International Yoga Day.
It Improves Your Focus And Concentration
Yoga is one of the most preferred ways to reduce stress levels. But it can also help you focus and concentrate better. Practising yoga requires you to be focused and mindful. When you engage in yoga postures, breathwork, and meditation, you train your mind to stay in the present. It enhances your focus and concentration on and off the mat.
Practising yoga postures will also help in increasing blood circulation to your brain. It increases your alertness, awareness and memory. Therefore, practising yoga regularly and not just on International Yoga Day is the way to go.
It Induces Better Sleep And Relaxes You
If you struggle with sleep disturbances or insomnia due to stress and anxiety. The relaxation techniques or movements in yoga can promote better sleep quality and physical and mental relaxation before you sleep.
Yoga does not have a direct effect on your sleep. But it helps your mind and body in settling down and relaxing. When your body and mind are relaxed and free from tension and anxiety, you will be able to sleep peacefully. So, make sure you begin practising yoga this International Yoga Day.
The Bottom Line
International Yoga Day is a great way to encourage yourself to practise yoga. Yoga is an effective tool to improve mental health, reduce stress, and promote overall well-being. These are six ways how Yoga Day can help your mental health. If you have decided to make yoga a part of your routine, do not forget to check out the mind and body fitness planner from our collection!