Spread the Ayurveda Goodness

Practitioners have been reaping the mental benefits of yoga poses for thousands of years. The sages of ancient India practised poses as a step that prepared them for further spiritual progress. In traditional yoga, poses are considered a tool to bring about emotional balance and mental stability. Let’s take a look at some of these psychological benefits that you can reap and make a positive difference in your life.

How Yoga Helps The Mind & Emotions

1. Yoga Reduces Stress & Anxiety.

When we speak of yoga for mental health, stress reduction is the first thing that comes to mind. Yoga is now widely accepted by doctors and psychologists as a stress reduction tool. Yoga poses for mental health help treat a range of stress-related issues like anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia. Here are the best asanas for anxiety.

2. Yoga Boosts Self-Awareness.

Among the top mental benefits of yoga poses is a higher sense of self-awareness. One of yoga’s purposes is to bring the body and mind together. Daily yoga practice makes you more grounded and helps you live mindfully. You become more aware of your breath, your posture, and all the different parts of your body. Isn’t that great?

3. Yoga Supports Positive Thinking.

Excess stress, fatigue, pain, hormonal imbalances, and energy blockages contribute to a negative state of mind. Yoga poses like Downward Dog, Child’s Pose, and Corpse Pose help tackle such factors. As a result, you are able to relax better and think more positively. Here are some tips for positive thinking you’ll find very useful.

4. Yoga Improves Focus And Concentration.

Yes, yoga can make you smarter! Improved focus and concentration are two common mental benefits of yoga poses. Practising yoga asanas requires a certain degree of concentration, which further increases with regular asana practice. Yoga poses improve breathing capacity and boost oxygen flow to the brain, which has a sharpening effect on the mind.

5. Yoga Can Soothe & Heal Depression.

Yoga for mental health as a therapy can be immensely beneficial for folks with depression. It promotes a sense of self-acceptance and self-love. It can reduce feelings of hopelessness. Overall, it has a highly uplifting effect for the soul. It’s worth a try, we reckon. Here are some helpful yoga poses for depression.

6. Yoga Boosts Self Confidence.

Another answer to how yoga helps the mind is by improving self confidence. This is an obvious effect – since yoga poses boost physical strength, improve body posture, and reduce stress levels. They help instil feelings of courage and confidence within us. Asanas like the Bridge, Warrior Poses, Cobra, and Lotus are some must-learn poses for self esteem.

7. Yoga Helps Us Control Our Minds.

Last up among the benefits of yoga for mental health is control over the mind. The founder of yoga Patanjali wrote that the goal of yoga is to achieve complete stillness of the mind – ultimate tranquillity. And so, when practised according to the principles of traditional yoga, asanas help calm, control, and silence the mind. Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it?