Do you feel stressed on a regular basis? Do you have anxiety levels that are difficult to control? These are some signs of is involved when it comes to mental health. A great way to relieve signs of depression and anxiety is yoga as it will organically stimulate the brain and release serotonin into the blood stream and increase blood flow around the body all whilst activating your para-sympathic nervous system (the good nervous system). Yoga is a form of low impact exercise which is great for all ages, improves range of motion and flexibility and is done in a group environment with other like-minded humans, in silence. I don’t know what could more rejuvenating for the soul and powerful for our mindset. The way we think is the way our day will play out. If we start the day with negative thoughts and negative self-talk, well guess what!? Our day will be nothing less than a negative 24hrs. if we can change the habit of negativity from the get go, imagine what the next 24hrs would be like.

Sadly, the levels of depression and anxiety are increasing in today’s society. People more so than ever showing signs and symptoms of high levels of adrenal fatigue and depression. Since the 1970s, meditation and other stress-reduction techniques have been studied as possible treatments for depression and anxiety. Yoga, has received less attention in the medical literature, though it has become increasingly popular in recent decades and a useful tool to combat stress. One national survey estimated, for example, that about 7.5% of adults had tried yoga at least once, and that nearly 4% practiced yoga in the previous year in order to relieve stress or to help improve symptoms of depression due to the controlled breath work used within the practice.

Ashley Turner (yoga instructor and licensed psychotherapist) says yoga is the key to psychological and emotional healing as well as resolving issues with self-confidence, relationships, family of origin issues, and especially mental health. “Yoga is a psychology — the whole practice helps us work with the nature of the mind, the nature of being a human, how emotions live in our bodies, how they affect our behaviour and our minds,” Ashley also reveals that yoga helped her recognise and cope with her own low self-esteem problems that was leading to anxiety.

5 Ways Yoga Benefits Your Mental Health

1. It moves you from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic nervous system, or from flight-or-flight to rest-and-digest. You typically have less anxiety and enter a more relaxed state. As soon as you start breathing deeply, you slow down out of fight or flight and calm your nervous system.
2. It helps you build your sense of self.Through yoga, you get to know yourself and cultivate a more nonjudgmental relationship with yourself. You are building self-trust. You exercise more and eat healthier, because your unconscious mind tells you, “I’m worthy of this me time, this effort.” At the end of the day, everything comes down to your relationship with yourself. When you get more confident and become more embedded in your sense of self and your centre, you develop a healthy, balanced ego, where you have nothing to prove and nothing to hide. You become courageous, with high willpower.
3. It improves your romantic relationship. When you’re more centred and more peaceful with yourself, you’ll be the same way with your partner — you’ll view them through the same lens of compassionate, unconditional love. You’re less reactive.
4. Controls your breathing patterns. Slowing down our breathing and making deeper, rather than breathing from the chest we learn to breath deeper from the lungs. Slowing our heart rate and helping to control our “monkey mind”. A busy mind that wonders is called a monkey mind and learning how to become conscious of your own thinking habits is also very important.
5. It helps you deal with family of origin issues. Essentially that’s our karma — we can’t give back our family, we’re born into it and that’s what you get. Rather than blaming the people around you, becoming more mindful about your reactions and words. You’re the only one that can change — the only thing you can do is control your actions and your behaviour.

Our next upcoming event will be supporting the beyondblue foundation. We are hosting a Twilight yoga night on Wednesday 21st March at 7:15pm- 8:15pm. Tickets are $15 with all proceeds going straight to the beyondblue foundation supporting people who suffer from depression and anxiety. To book your ticket for this special event click here

If you are in the Hills District area including Castle Hill, Kellyville, Bella Vista, Baulkham Hills, Glenhaven, West Pennant Hills, Dural, Rouse Hill and surrounding areas contact us to help you get started on your health and wellness journey.

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