Gratitude Series: The Benefits of Yoga on Mental Health
In this season of gratitude, that we hope extends far beyond these next few weeks, we take a closer look at the benefits of yoga on mental health to deepen our gratitude for our practice and the many gifts it offers.
You’ve heard a thousand and one times that yoga is great for relieving stress, reducing anxiety, and helping you relax. But why is that? And how else might yoga be helping your state of mind?
According to Harvard Health Publishing of Harvard Medical School, “When you do yoga, your brain cells develop new connections, and changes occur in brain structure as well as function, resulting in improved cognitive skills such as learning and memory. Yoga strengthens parts of the brain that play a key role in memory, attention, awareness, thought, and language. Think of it as weightlifting for the brain.” This article continues, explaining that practitioners of yoga often have a thicker cerebral cortex with less shrinkage as they aged than nonpractitioners, which “suggests that yoga may counteract age-related declines in memory and other cognitive skills.”
When it comes to stress reduction, “all exercise can boost your mood by lowering levels of stress hormones, increasing the production of feel-good chemicals known as endorphins, and bringing more oxygenated blood to your brain.” These, as well as the physical engagement of your muscles, release of tension from the body, and nervous-system-regulating breathing techniques can help ease symptoms of anxiety and depression as well.
“But yoga may have additional benefits.”
The part of our brain responsible for our emotions is called our limbic system. Meditation decreases activity in the limbic system which means that practitioners are often able to respond to stressful situations in more level, measured ways rather than with highly emotional reactions. In other words, meditation, like you often practice at the beginning or end of yoga class, may help you regulate your emotions to stay calm or return to a state of calm faster than people who don’t meditate.
Yoga can also improve sleep, encourage us to make healthier lifestyle choices, and help us find a sense of belonging in community with others.
Yoga class is a place where instructors might offer reminders to use your intuition, listening to your body and your emotions, opening doorways to better understanding yourself and deepening acceptance of yourself, which is something we all struggle with at times. Instructors might offer intentions for a practice to help you focus on the positive aspects of life, which teaches your brain to look for positivity off the mat in the world around you as well. The more goodness you look for, the more there is to find.
There are so many mental health benefits to be grateful for in our yoga practice. I hope this deepens your gratitude and appreciation of your own personal practice.
—Gabbie Gordon, Client Experience Manager
Read more at Harvard Health: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/yoga-for-better-mental-health and WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/balance/benefits-of-yoga-for-mental-health
