Yoga is fantastic if you want to build your core strength, balance, and contribute to the quality of your strength training. But the benefits of finding your flow don’t end there. Yoga also has tonnes of benefits for your mental health. Particularly when it comes to managing anxiety, Yoga is as much a workout for your mind as it is for your body.
So, if you’re curious about the multitude of brain benefits of Yoga, we're here to give you the low-down.
1. Confidence
Yoga requires you to really build on your balance and coordination. And once you nail a new pose, the confidence boost feels incredible. Especially as Yoga is focussed on strength, mastering different poses is incredibly empowering.
Yoga also relies solely on your abilities, and your dedication, no one else. So, you should feel pretty fantastic once you’ve completed a practice.
2. Encourages reflection
Yoga is just you, your body, and a whole lot of zen. Doing a Yoga session, the typical relaxed, calm, quiet atmosphere encourages you to self-reflect. Whether that’s reflecting on the day you’ve just had, what’s to come, or an argument you had with a loved one, you’re able to reflect on it all and figure out your feelings.
And when doing so in a calm environment with just you and your body, it will allow for calm reflection, rather than panicked, anxiety ridden overthinking.
3. Sleep
Yoga before bed can hugely aid sleep. It prepares your mind as well as your body for sleep by clearing your head of the day's worries. The more you get into the habit of a quick Yoga session before bed, the more it will become a signal for your body that its time for sleep, and the less sheep you'll have to count.
We don't have to tell you why sleep is invaluable to mental health, a good nights sleep does wonders.
4. Mindfulness
Especially in the modern world, it’s way too easy to live life constantly thinking about what’s going to happen next, or dwelling on what has happened in the past. Yoga forces you to stop and be entirely in the moment, thinking about how you’re moving your body, and exactly what you are doing in that moment.
Being mindful of what’s going on in the moment is so helpful in reducing anxiety as you’re no longer thinking of everything that could potentially go wrong in your life. Yoga is the perfect way to start practicing mindfulness.
5. Mental organisation
Half an hour of Yoga practice allows you time to organise your thoughts in a calm, controlled way. Proper thinking time like this can reduce the appearance of whatever problems you are facing in your life. Use it to organise your thoughts and clear your head whilst you’re moving your body.
We think you’ll leave feeling clearer than ever.
Take Home Message
We hope we’ve convinced you to at least try becoming a Yogi and reap some of these mental health benefits on offer. Yoga is all about calm, serenity, and mindfulness, and all of these things are essential in reducing stress and anxiety.
If you are struggling with any mental health problems, please contact a professional and seek help.
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