Practising yoga to improve your mental wellbeing is no new invention. Yogis have known about and shared the benefits of yoga for thousands of years, however more recent studies have proven the practise can truly make you happier.
In this week’s guest blog post, Rebecca Shinn, shares the many benefits practising yoga can have on your happiness.
The benefits of yoga on our happiness
While also being a fantastic physical workout, the benefits of practising yoga are not constrained to bodily fitness, but they also go deeper to help you find inner peace. To many individuals, yoga is seen as a mental health workout that can contribute towards reducing feelings of anxiety and depression, as well as boosting your overall mood.
Still skeptical about this majestic power? Let's explore the benefits of yoga on mental wellbeing and discover how it can calm nerves, reduce stress and boost overall happiness.
5 benefits of practising yoga
1. There is power in different postures
While some of us avoid physical workouts as practising a single activity sounds monotonous, the beauty of yoga is in the many different postures. There are so many to explore and no yoga session need ever be the same as you can try new variations each time. Postures range from beginner to advanced, and even power yoga, and they all help you stay fit and healthy while allowing you to meditate at the same time.
Practising poses such as “downward facing dog” can help to improve your blood circulation which increases energy levels, while gentle poses like “happy baby” can help slow down your thoughts and work to soothe feelings of anxiety.
2. YOGA Positively affects the brain
Practising yoga every day can increase your happiness levels as the GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric) levels of your brain rise after an hour of exercise. How does this rise of GABA help?
Well, low GABA levels are related to feelings of anxiety and depression in humans, which both have a challenging impact on our emotional health. This means that an hour of yoga can improve your brain health which lifts your mood, helping you to achieve happiness.
3. The benefits are long-term
Another benefit to yoga is that you can continue to adapt your practice throughout your life.
Research indicates that people who practise yoga for years experience higher levels of happiness and overall health, and regular practise can even improve your life-span! Yoga can also curb several issues like anger, unknown fatigue, and distress with its healing components, and such biochemical changes can have a profound and lasting impact on your overall happiness.
4. yoga Supports our breathing
There are many reasons why breathing exercises throughout yoga is beneficial. It can strengthen your practice, help to avoid injury and breathing exercises are also good for happiness.
When you practise yoga and breathing exercises, this creates a heightened state of relaxation, which ultimately can help to lower stress levels and improve your mood.
5. YOGA strengthens the mind-body connection
Practising yoga is known to establish a sync between your mind and body, helping you to create a positive and strong bond with your inner self. This supports the idea that the body’s processes can influence the mind.
Therefore, when you are practising yoga and the body is still, focused and relaxed, this will have a positive influence on your mental wellbeing.
Building a positive attitude through yoga
Practising yoga for your mental wellbeing can not only improve your mood and happiness, it can also help keep feelings of anxiety, depression and stress away. Yoga also inspires a positive attitude by teaching you to practise gratitude for what you have.
So, why wait for anyone or anything to make you happy? By practising yoga, you can redefine your mental wellbeing and encourage happier views, thoughts, and a more proactive attitude.
Rebecca Shinn is a freelance writer for dating sites, as well as dating and relationship expert with a psychology degree. Her field of expertise is relationship, dating, and marriage. An important part of Rebecca’s practice is to help couples with communication skills, problem-solving skills, stress management, or financial skills.
Rebecca started writing two years ago to inspire and help people to have a better dating life, healthy relationships, or find a way to keep a marriage strong for many years.