In the U.S., headlines are filled with stories about anxiety and anxious feelings. Articles recommending ways to relieve those feelings also appear. Yoga is a great way to boost your brain power. Many people who practice yoga will tell you how it has changed their daily thinking and feelings. To be more precise, how does yoga impact your mental health?
These are the top five mental health benefits that yoga offers.
Anxiety and depression relief
Yoga can reduce anxiety and depression by combining meditation, exercise, relaxation, and socialization.
Yoga can help you bring balance back to your busy life by regulating your stress response, clearing your mind, and calming your nervous system.
Yoga can also reduce heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure. This allows you to relax and ease anxiety without needing prescription drugs.
Reduce the impact of PTSD and other similar conditions
Yoga can also help deal with stress-related disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, discovered that participants in kundalini Yoga programs showed more significant improvements in sleep, positive affect, and perceived stress than those who did not do it.
Increase concentration, focus, memory, and alertness
Are you struggling to concentrate on daily tasks? Yoga could help you get more done without being distracted.
Studies have shown that yoga can improve concentration and memory. This is because you need to be focused during your practice. Yoga requires you to focus on your core and listen to your body during balance poses.
It’s challenging to think about anything other than maintaining balance and form while standing on one leg in a tree pose. This allows you to clear your mind, calm your senses and improve your brain’s ability to focus on one thing at a time. Clearing your mind of all the clutter can help you have a better memory.
You can improve your mood.
Are you prone to mood swings? Are you prone to mood swings? Or are you more likely to be irritable and pessimistic than usual? You might be surprised to know that yoga regularly results in higher brain levels of GABA.
You may be wondering what GABA is. GABA is a neurotransmitter that your brain produces and controls the emotions you experience. Low levels can lead to anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions. Yoga can increase your GABA levels, allowing you to release negative emotions and moods and replace them with positive ones. You will also feel more joy and self-confidence.
Keep your brain young.
Another psychological benefit of yoga is keeping your brain healthy and vibrant even after age.
Research has shown that meditation and yoga have a more remarkable ability to strengthen the brain, especially in older people. Yoga is a great tool to maintain your brain’s health, vitality, and well-being.