It is not new that practicing yoga has several benefits. Yoga is one of the commonly practiced physical activities all over the world. Not only that, yoga helps in spiritual enlightenment along with meditation. Nowadays, yoga is the most mainstream and effective practice that focuses both on mental and physical wellbeing. Interestingly, there are many effects of yoga on mental health that help deal with mental illness like anxiety disorder, depression or any other mood disorders.
Why yoga is better for mental health according to science?
Modern scientific researches have proven people who practices yoga regularly have higher tolerance for regulating pain and stress stimuli. Additionally, yoga reduces blood pressure, releases stress and helps with more calming respiration. Yoga is considered being an effective way for emotional and psychological healing. Yoga actively resolves issues with self-confidence, stress and anxiety from both personal and professional life, and depression.
Scientific studies have shown, practicing yoga daily, not only help in physical fitness, it also helps in behavior, thinking, and mentality modification on a positive note. Along with flexibility, yoga brings calmness, energy, and spiritual realization or self-actualization. Yoga is extremely beneficial for weight loss, prevents premature ageing, maintains strong spine, helps in blood circulation, balance hormone secretion, lowers blood pressure and blood sugar level, and increases oxygen intake.
Not just physical benefits, yoga helps with mental health fitness as well. Practicing yoga regularly, uplifts the mood, calms the mind, and brings positivity to your life. Consistent yoga practice can boost the production of the happy hormone Serotonin in the body. Practicing yoga every day boosts confidence along with dealing with depression and anxiety.
Also read: 15 Hidden Depression Symptoms In Women
How yoga can help with our psychological well-being?
Yoga isn’t all about holding the various poses and stretching. Yoga affects our life principles actively. There are 8 primary life principles in which yoga influences us to be more disciplined at, They are as follows:
- Mindfulness (conscious breathing) or Pranayama
- Self-discipline or Niyama
- Moral code or Yama
- Concentration or Dharana
- Meditation or Dhyanna
- Detachment from senses or Pratyahara
- Perfect posture (poses) or Asanas
- State of rest or Savasana
- Ecstasy or Samadhi
How yoga helps with mental health?
1. Yoga helps in reducing stress.
The first and foremost effect of yoga on mental health is yoga helps in reducing stress. When we are stressed, the stress hormones named cortisol secretes from the adrenal glands. Practicing yoga helps in reduction of this stress hormone. Yoga is not only for better mental health but also it improves the quality of life. As practicing yoga calms the nervous system, women who suffer from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) also get benefitted from yoga.
2. Yoga helps with relieving depression and anxiety.
People who struggle with anxiety disorders or depression, they can really get benefitted from practicing yoga along with breathing meditation. Regular practice of yoga lowers the recurring symptoms of anxiety attack and depression. Yoga is effective for better mental health as it fights the symptoms of depression by controlling the levels of hormones like serotonin or dopamine. Yoga is beneficial for those people who want to self-help with their depression and mental illness. Yoga reduces the level of ACTH, which is the hormone responsible for releasing cortisol.
3. Yoga treats chronic pain.
Chronic pain is such an illness that affects a person’s physical health seriously, yet they cannot be treated easily. Millions of people’s lives are affected by chronic pain, which are mostly some kinds of vague pain all over the body or the type of pain like arthritis and pain from any injuries. Hence incorporating yoga in daily lives can be beneficial for reducing chronic and vague pains, especially those we develop from depression or any kind of mental health disorder.
4. Improves lifestyle quality.
Yoga helps in improving the sleep quality. If you practice yoga regularly, you’ll fall asleep faster. Yoga keeps you from experiencing sleeping problems like sleep apnea and makes you sleep for a longer time than people with insomnia sleeps. Yoga helps in melatonin secretion, which regulates sleeping patterns. Yoga improves mood and fatigue levels along with migraine.
5. Yoga improves overall mental health.
Effects of yoga on mental health are vast. Yoga enhances mindfulness and helps you to reflect on your strength and weaknesses, creating scopes for you to improve yourself. Yoga helps you gain your self-control, which ultimately makes you focus on your goals.
Also read: Why Are Women More Depressed Than Men?
Conclusion
Incorporating yoga into your daily life will increase your positivity and your outlook towards life. As a regular practitioner of yoga, I can tell yoga indeed improves your mental health and calms your sensitive nervous system, which ultimately makes you see life from a different and much positive perspective. These were some of the many reasons why yoga is efficient for better mental health and why should we practice yoga regularly to improve our mental health.