Yoga is great for stress relief. The first thing you notice when you take up a yoga practice is that you’re more relaxed, and things just don’t bother you the way they used to.
Here’s another stress relief benefit from yoga: better sleep. You’ll fall asleep faster, and when you wake up in the morning you’ll be eager to get out of bed.
“Yoga is good for mental health. How could a practice that incorporates relaxation, meditation and deep breathing not be good for our mental health? Yoga can be a great stress reducer, and there’s a lot of stress going around right now.”
Tip: last thing at night, if you’ve had a stressful day, spend a minute in Downward Dog pose. The pose is great for relaxing you completely, and helping you to drop off to peaceful sleep. A friend calls Downward Dog “the insomnia beater.” Try it.
One of the benefits of yoga is that it’s excellent for anyone who’s prone to anxiety; it can even help depression. You find that ten or 20 minutes of yoga leaves you feeling refreshed, balanced, and energized.
If you were worried about something before your yoga session, you’ll find that the worry vanishes — your problem, whatever it was, no longer feels so important, and you feel able to handle it.
“According to Stephen Cope, a psychotherapist and author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, hatha yoga’s postures improve mood by moving energy through places in the body where feelings of grief or anger are stored. ‘Hatha yoga is an accessible form of learning self-soothing,’ he says. ‘These blocked feelings can be released very quickly, [creating a] regular, systemic experience of well-being.’ Yoga students may also benefit from their relationship with the yoga instructor, Cope said, which can provide a ‘container’ or a safe place for investigating, expressing and resolving emotional issues. The instructor’s encouraging and accepting words may also help students defeat self-limiting notions.”
If you’re a born worrier, suffer panic attacks, or are prone to depression, give yoga a try.
Namaste. Love yoga? Whether you're new to yoga, or have an established practice, welcome. Enjoy the information here. My own yoga practice extends over 40 years, and has given me much happiness and peace. Breathe, relax, and enjoy. :-)
