World Mental Health day : How Yoga Benefits Our Mental Health For Holistic Wellness

With all the unrealistic trends on social media like #collarbonechallenge and #bellybuttonchallenge which were specifically aimed at preaching body shaming and putting a specific body type and shape on a pedestal while proving others to be undesirable, Gen Z has started to realise the impact it has on mental health & peace and how it deteriorates one’s self esteem. Growing up with the internet and smartphones, people today are all about inclusivity and have started opening up about their mental health struggles and battles. With today’s lifestyle conditions and mental health triggers like stress, anxiety and trauma related memories, psychological unrest has been topping charts and it has become imperative to deal with it and touch base with our inner self. This is where Yoga comes to play in tackling both physical and mental health issues for an overall holistic well-being. Let us delve further into the wonderful benefits that Yoga has, not just to fulfil your body goals, but for our overall physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

The MANY benefits of Yoga for Mental Health - 

Mental Health comprises Emotional, Psychological and Social factors. It is extremely important to keep your mental health in equilibrium for our overall wellness. Let us talk about this briefly.

• Reduces Stress and Eases Anxiety - Be it acute stress or long-term, Mind-Body Yoga practises deals with it by calming your nervous system, providing oxygenated blood to your brain and easing the muscle tension. It all comes down to breathing properly. When we are stressed, we unconsciously adopt a long, rapid breathing pattern which disrupts our whole system. Yoga connects us to our inner self and teaches breath control, which in turn soothes our overall system and keeps our mind relaxed.
  
  
• Relieves Depression - Serotonin, which is our body’s natural ‘happy hormone’ plays a key role to aid depression is said to increase by practising yoga. According to some studies, practising yoga shows similar results in treatment of depression, when compared to the traditional methods of psychotherapy and medicines like anti-depressants. It also results in the increase of other hormones like Endorphins and Dopamine, making your heart rate faster and leaving you feel happier.
  
  

• Improves Concentration & Memory Retention - Studies have shown that practising Yoga results in increased attention, concentration, awareness and faster information processing, learning and memory retention. Hence, performing yoga practices can make your brain sharper and improve your cognitive skills.
  
  
• Aids to Self-Esteem Issues - By practising yoga, one learns to not just put their body in balance by practising asanas, but also put their mind under control which radiates a sense of coordination and control.