What does yoga have to do with my mental health?
In January of this year, we moved our mental health practice and opened our doors with a partnership with multiple other wellness providers one of which being Evolve Yoga and Wellness. Creating a space that allows for different holistic services to be under one roof has been a dream for many years. In my vision, it begins to eliminate the stigma sometimes associated with seeking mental health services. If I am going to see my therapist in the therapist’s office then everyone who sees me go in or come out knows that I am going to see my therapist. However, if I go into a wellness center for an appointment then no one knows if I am there for yoga, aromatherapy, massage, therapy or some other services. This in turn eliminates the struggle of not wanting to go to a therapy office out of fear of being judged by others. (That’s a whole different topic for another day).
So, why yoga? I’m so glad you asked.
If you do an internet search of: “how does yoga help with mental health”, you’re going to get lots of articles and information to support the connection. I want to share a couple of them that are key to me and why I believe we are blessed to have yoga classes right here in our center.
Self - care…..I’d like to say it louder for the people in the back…..SELF-CARE! Taking time out of your day or week for an hour of yoga is one great step towards self care. You may have read a previous blog post (https://www.hopehealingtherapy.com/blog/2021/6/7/self-care-is-not-selfish ) or social media post from us about self care. Self care is simply that….taking CARE of yourSELF. And, you must take CARE of yourSELF in order to take care of others. So, attending a regular yoga class is self-care.
Breathing….One vital peace of all yoga practice is breathing. Right now I’d like you to take a deep breath and notice which part of your body moves….your chest and shoulders or your belly? If the answer is chest and shoulders, then you’re breathing ineffectively. Don’t worry because most of us breathe ineffectively, In order to fully inflate our lungs and to be most effective in our breathing, we must breathe into the belly. When we breathe into the belly we not only fully and completely fill out lungs and oxygenate our body but we also suppress our Vagus Nerve. The short explanation of that is….the Vagus Nerve is our 10th Cranial Nerve that runs through our entire body and touches every organ (except the kidneys). The Vagus Nerve is responsible for relaxation in our body. So, by breathing into our belly, expanding the diaphragm, we press on the vagus nerve and begin the relaxation process. The take away:
Yoga = Breathing = Relaxation
Meditation….meditation simply put is clearing your mind and finding focus/clarity. I read somewhere one time (sorry no reference to add) that we have about 80,000 thoughts per day and we’re aware of only about 10% of those thoughts. Not only does that mean that our brain is one busy organ but it also means that we do a whole lot that we don’t even think about….literally we aren’t aware of the thoughts associated with our actions. By taking just 10 minutes per day meditating, we can become more aware of the thoughts that flow through our minds and find clarity as well as focus. During yoga practice, the instructor leads you through times of meditation to focus your attention and begin to clear your mind.
Stress and Pain Relief…..we’ve already hit on the stress piece….self care decreases stress, breathing decreases stress, meditation decreases stress….we reap those benefits in yoga so therefore yoga decreases stress. It really is that simple. But, what about pain. Pain increases stress in our body and can really set us off on a tail spin mentally. When we practice yoga we engage in stretches and postures that allow us to breathe into the muscles and fascia tissue of our bodies and stretch our bodies in ways that we might not otherwise. As a personal example, after having 5 knee surgeries I live with pretty chronic pain in my left knee. Practicing yoga is the only way to keep that pain away. Even stretching after a workout doesn’t have the same effect that 1-2 yoga classes per week does.
I really could go on and on about the benefits of yoga. But, instead I invite you to see for yourself. Check out our wellness page https://www.hopehealingtherapy.com/therapy-and-wellness-services and register for a yoga class with Evolve Yoga and Wellness https://www.evolveyogawellness.com/class-schedule/ to give it a try. There are classes for every level of participant and even some for our teens. Do not be afraid to ask questions of the instructors as they are vital resources.
Can’t wait to see you on the mat!