Yoga practices come in several different forms, from Hatha yoga (postures, purposeful breathing and short meditative periods), to Bikram (hot yoga), but they all share several key benefits to our general wellbeing.
Over the last few decades, the benefits of yoga have been studied and results show that dopamine (feel good chemicals from on reward brain receptors) and endorphins are released following a yoga class.
Yoga changes up blood flow by increasing the flow of oxygen. All of the postures in the sequence work to increase the flow of fresh, oxygenated blood to every part of the body. Pairing this with controlled, deep breathing, we are actively affecting the dialogue between our brains and our body- literally sending messages that all is well. Deep abdominal breathing, allows for the slowing down of our entire central nervous system. Through this flow we are literally learning to become mindful; to hold a pose, no matter how uncomfortable for a short period of time and release.
Yoga practice as a metaphor for life
I had one yoga teacher tell us that not unlike yoga, life can sometimes put us in uncomfortable situations and we have to stay there for a little while. But similar to the asanas, after a short period of time we get to release that pose or that discomfort and return to a newfound moment.
Fully experiencing the present moment
Mindfulness is defined as purposeful attention directed at this current moment without any judgment. Living in this present moment awareness allows for a sense of vitality and refreshing- the opposite of living in our heads and evaluating everything which most of the time leads to anxiety and/or depressive symptoms. Yoga teaches to stay where are, and not to compare ourselves to other yogis in the classrooms- another metaphor for life, since we all have our own journeys.
Yoga can be an emotional release
If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you might have heard the teacher use the phrase: “leave it on the yoga mat”. I have had several yoga practitioners share experiences where they had an emotional breakthrough on their yoga mat and released a lot of stored up emotion. The reality is that pent up unexpressed emotions typically come out anyway (fights with our loved ones, addictive patterns whether through work or alcohol or drugs, anxiety, depression, isolation).
As a therapist, I always encourage my client to try a yoga class at least once, as the benefits of pairing counseling with yoga can be very profound and can be a nice addition to your existing treatment, or can serve as a stress reliever and a way to reconnect with your mind, your body, and your spirit.
Namaste – “the light within me, acknowledges the light within you”
Nice article its very helpfull thanks for sharing