How yoga can help mental health

Yoga offers powerful tools for navigating and managing stress and emotional turmoil that can arrive at any time in our lives. Through practices such as breath regulation and physical release through postures, we can find solace and emotional resilience both on and off the mat.

Using the breath

Breath (‘pranayama’) is a key component of a yoga practice and is a tool we can use any time in our day to day lives.

Pranayama techniques focus on controlling and manipulating the breath to influence the body's physiological responses. Deep belly breathing, for example, where we breathe deeply into the diaphragm, can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the "rest and digest" response.

By using breathing techniques, such as alternate nostril breathing, square breathing or the 4:7:8 breathing pattern, we can stimulate the relaxation response in the body, leading to a reduction in cortisol (the stress hormone) levels and an overall decrease in feelings of anxiety and tension.

Releasing through yoga postures

Emotional stress and tension often manifest as physical tension in the body, leading to discomfort, tightness and restricted movement. Yoga postures that focus on stretching, strengthening and releasing tension in the muscles and connective tissues can create space for emotional release and relaxation.

Practices such as yin yoga, restorative yoga, gentle yoga or mindful movement sequences can also help us release physical tension, calm the nervous system and promote increased resilience and inner peace.

Meditation and mindfulness to improve emotional resilience

Mindfulness is a core principle of yoga practice, developing present-moment awareness and the ability to observe our thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgement. 

Yoga promotes mindfulness because we focus on our breath and body sensations during practice. This helps us anchor ourselves in the present moment and disengage from unhelpful thoughts and emotions, reducing reactivity and promoting a more thoughtful and intentional response to challenging situations.

Through the practice of mindfulness in yoga, we can learn to observe our emotions as they arise, without immediately reacting or becoming overwhelmed by them.

Self-awareness through meditation and relaxation at the end of yoga class gives us that space for self reflection and a deeper understanding of our thoughts, emotions and reactions, leading to personal growth.

Processing difficult emotions 

Yoga practices, particularly Yin or restorative yoga, encourage us to engage in introspection and self-awareness, allowing for the exploration and acknowledgment of uncomfortable emotions that may arise.

By holding poses that target the deeper layers of connective tissue in the body, we have the opportunity to sit with emotions, observe them without judgement, and cultivate acceptance and emotional resilience in a safe space.

We can then carry this into our daily lives, enabling us to navigate challenging emotions with grace and compassion.

How yoga helps long term

By consciously cultivating a strong mind-body connection through regular yoga practice, we can develop a greater understanding of how our physical practices impact our emotional wellbeing.

The connection between mind and body is a central element of yoga practice, highlighting the intricate relationship between physical and emotional wellbeing. Through yoga, we cultivate a deep awareness and understanding of the connection between our physical bodies and emotional states.

By nurturing our bodies through yoga practice, we can also cultivate greater emotional balance and stability. As we tap into the components of what makes us who we are, we can notice how they’re all linked.

If the mind feels a certain way, the energy within the body will flow along with that experience. If your energy is a certain way then the mind and body will resonate along with that.

Yoga is a beautiful and transformative practice that is rich in its tools that it offers us, helping us to find ease and resilience in this human experience with all of its complexities.