Mindful Yoga: The Physical/Emotional Link

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Our mental health is closely linked with our physical health, and people who are experiencing stress and depression are often advised to take regular exercise, especially if they are exploring alternative treatment routes instead of medication.

Yoga is a form of exercise that can be particularly helpful in regulating and improving emotional wellbeing, and this is because of the strong mind-body connection, which is at the heart of all yoga practice. Learning to work with your breath in connection with the slow and controlled movements of your body allows you to retrain your mind, and this can bring many emotional benefits:

Emotional Benefits of Yoga Practice

1. It reduces stress.

Yoga practice aims to sharpen your focus and self-control, which allows you to let go of tension and leave your stresses behind you. Doing regular yoga practice can help you to keep your stresses in perspective and let go of worries that do not serve you.

2. It can combat anxiety.

Anxiety relies on tightness of breath and body, a nervous system in a state of panic and an increased heart rate. Yoga shows you how to slow and calm your physical and mental systems, and using breathing techniques, you can reduce your anxiety levels a great deal.

3. It can reduce depression.

Exercise is known to release endorphins into the body that can boost feelings of positivity and help to keep depression at bay. Exercise is often referred to as a natural anti-depressant, and yoga can be particularly helpful since it aims to release negative energy and bring your focus to positivity and wellness.

4. It encourages calm and positivity.

Meditation is a key part of yoga practice, and the focus on breathing and quiet movements is ideal to bring you into a calm state. Practicing on a regular basis can help to balance your hormones and nervous system, to encourage a more stable, positive state of mind.

5. It can improve your mood.

There’s nothing like yoga to shake you out of a bad mood. Clearing your mind and making space to nourish your body with a gentle and restorative workout can put you in a better frame of mind and have you feeling really good again in no time.

Improve Your Emotional Health With Yoga

Working with your breath and your body to learn yoga, relaxation and meditation can help to calm your nervous system, reduce your blood pressure and sharpen your focus. If you combine these positive outcomes with feeling fitter and increasing your muscle tone, balance and strength, you may agree that yoga could be the answer to many problems!