The Mind-Body Connection: How Yoga Can Aid in Recovery from Mental Health Issues

If you’re working to improve your mental health, you know that the mind-body connection is a key piece of figuring out how to love yourself while getting mentally healthy. 

There are many mental health issues that can benefit from regular yoga. If you’re looking for drug or alcohol treatment programs, ways to calm stress, treatment to heal from trauma, or other mental health therapies, think about giving yoga a try. 

Whether you’re new to the idea of yoga or you’ve spent hours in yoga studios working on your poses, getting comfortable and familiar with the ancient practice and its health benefits can be a key tool in becoming mentally well.

Better Sleep

Sleep is a key part of staying healthy, and even if you’re getting the correct number of hours you need, it’s not helpful if it’s not restful. If you find that you’re waking up many times throughout the night, or that you spend plenty of time in bed but don’t wake up feeling rested, it’s likely that your sleep quality needs to improve. When you practice yoga, you’re training your mind to focus, and you’re allowing happiness and relaxation chemicals to be released. A slow, calming yoga flow an hour before you plan to go to bed can send you straight into dreamland.

Lowered Stress

Everyone knows that yoga can be relaxing, but few people reap the benefits of engaging in a regular yoga practice for stress relief. It’s normal to find that after you spend some time doing yoga, you’re relaxed and probably wondering why you don’t engage in yoga more often. If you’re thinking about using yoga as a way to improve your mental health, it’s key that you carve out regular times in which you’ll engage in your practice. Whether this means scheduling a yoga retreat, signing up for a yoga series, or registering for private lessons with your favorite instructor, practicing regularly will allow your body and mind to learn that you’re committed to providing the stress relief that you need to improve your mental health.

Calm Impulsivity

When you’re working to improve your mental health, one of the key things you’ll need to change is your decision-making process. If you typically struggle with impulsivity, yoga can be perfect for slowing down your thought process, allowing you to take the time that you need to consider potential outcomes, and make the best decisions for your needs. At the start of each yoga session, it’s a good idea to take a moment to set an intention. When you’re working to improve your mental health, this can be a great time to think about the aspects of your mental health that you’d like to change. Whether you’re working to slow down intrusive thoughts, improve self-esteem, or change self-destructive tendencies, setting your intention for your practice can tie in your mental health goals with the building of physical strength through yoga.

Improve Relationships

While yoga is typically a solitary practice, it can go a long way when it comes to improving your relationships with the people you love. When you have pride in yourself and are working on bettering yourself as a person, the people around you will appreciate and notice that hard work that you’re doing to become your best self. This can help to improve your relationships, especially if your mental health issues in the past have caused some stress between you and the people that you love. If you feel comfortable, inviting a loved one to attend a yoga class or a yoga retreat with you can be a fun way to get healthy and strengthen your bond.

Build Confidence

When you see the strength and beauty of which your body is capable during your yoga practice, your self-esteem will grow. This can work wonders when it comes to building your confidence and feeling good about yourself, which is a key part of the process of becoming mentally well. It’s important to be kind to yourself as you go through the confidence building process. These changes don’t happen overnight, and there’s no reason to beat yourself up if it’s taking some time to figure out how to enjoy your own company. Marveling in your strength and seeing how your body changes as you begin to practice yoga regularly can give you the confidence that you need to persevere through hard situations that come with improving your mental health.

Author Bio: Patrick Bailey is a professional writer mainly in the fields of mental health, addiction, and living in recovery. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the addiction and the mental health world and enjoy writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them.