The Effects Of Yoga On Mental Health

Yoga is a practice for union. When yoga is being practiced the participant becomes relaxed and tries to achieve a higher state of mind.(Fisher 80) There are different types of yoga that help achieve different states of mind. Raja yoga is the path to mental concentration and is used by meditative people. Jnana yoga is the path to rational inquiry which is done by rational people, and for naturally active people there is karma yoga which is the path of right action. “Yoga is known as the disconnection of the connection with suffering.” –The Bhagavad Gita (hinduwisdom.info) Hinduism also has a series of gods and goddess who Hindu’s pray to and worship. Durga whom is called the Ideal Warrior, Sita, who is the

First thoughts that come into my head when I think about yoga are body flexibility, body movements and relaxation. Though yoga is more than that, it has deeper connections to the mind-body. Connecting with the mind-body is a great communication to have because knowing what our bodies feel helps us figure out if we are tired, hungry, or hurting. Finding the connection between the mind and body is one of the best breathtaking moments. This being said, there are plenty of benefits that yoga has to offer. For example, yoga helps us with balancing a healthy lifestyle, because we become aware of the outcomes from practicing yoga.

This exercise can do a lot when it comes to improving your overall physical health. A research from physicians at the HMO Group Health Cooperative in Seattle discovered that yoga can help reduce diabetes, heart disease, and even chronic pain throughout the body. In other words, yoga works on building muscles and increasing endurance.

Yoga has been shown to be effective as an adjunctive treatment for a wide variety of disorders, including epilepsy, diabetes, heart disease, insomnia, and chronic pain (Streeter et al., 2012; van der Kolk, 2014). Streeter et al. (2012) propose that yoga is helpful in such a wide variety of conditions because it reduces allostatic load in the stress response symptom, decreases sympathetic nervous system activity, increases parasympathetic nervous system activity, and increases gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA) levels. Overall, yoga is a practice that may help the body return to a more optimal state of

From the obvious and widely-reported physical benefits to the researched, studied, and documented healing powers, and mental and emotional benefits. So, when we look to yoga's effects, especially on the brain, it's not exactly surprising to find that there's benefits there, too.

Yoga based interventions fall under a very broad topic of complementary and alternative medicine. The United States National Library of Medicine defines CAMs as “the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard care. Standard care is what medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy, and allied health professionals, such as nurses and physical

Yoga is an ancient Hindu spiritual meditation practice that some believe dates back to 3300 BCE, during the Indus Valley Civilization. Modern wellness practices use yoga as part of a cardio routine and as a therapy to alleviate health disorders such as

According to the Osteopathic.org website, yoga is proven to provide physical benefits of the human body, including increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, improved respiration, energy and vitality, maintaining a balanced metabolism, weight reduction, cardio and circulatory health, improved athletic performance, and protection from injury. Not only are there physical benefits to yoga, but also mental benefits such as improving a person’s mental health and is proven to increase coping skills. Furthermore, the American Osteopathic Association states, “Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness; increases body awareness; relieves chronic stress pattern; relaxes the mind; centers

Yoga provides excellent mind and body exercise that will help with strengthening muscles, keeping your body flexible - and relaxing your mind.

Proponents would argue that it cultivates self-compassion and acceptance – two key areas in healing. Alongside this, the ability to tolerate distressing bodily sensations and increased sensory awareness. Van der Kolk (2014) found that 10 weeks of yoga practice markedly reduced PTSD symptoms of those who failed to respond to other treatment. Physiological benefits tend to be associated with reduced arousal and system regulation, and include improvements in blood pressure, cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency, and autonomic system activation (Mandle et al., 1996; Raub, 2002). Yoga has also been shown to change heart rate variability.

For instance, prisonpolicy.org reports that an estimated 1 in 7 federal prisoners and 1 in 4 jail inmates suffers from some type of psychological distress. This statistic highlights the importance of mental well-being among inmates. Yoga is a perfect way to combat this issue. With being offered the option to practice yoga, they would be working towards fighting against psychological distress, lowering the number of inmates who experience mental health related

People encounter various challenges in life ranging from diseases, lack of basic essential needs and psychiatric problems among others. This has given rise to various forms of therapies being adopted by specialists whilst offering solutions to depressed individuals. Group therapy has taken a center-stage in the management of depression. Butler et al (2008) in their article titled "Meditation with yoga, group therapy with hypnosis, and psychoeducation for long-term depressed mood: a randomized pilot trial" show that depression and anxiety form part of the well-known conditions named by individuals seeking treatment using therapies and complementary alternatives. Alternative therapies include yoga, qigong, tai chi, mediation, and exercise. They argue that people are increasingly using these therapies. Butler provides information claiming that yoga and exercise are effective therapies with high rates than uncontrolled activities (Butler, et al 2008). The authors also demonstrate that these therapies can be compared to established anxiety treatments and depression treatments such as sertraline, cognitive behavioral therapy, and imipramine.

In yoga and in life, it helps to establish a strong sense of balance in order to practice yoga fully. When we find this balance, new possibility is available to us in all facets of our life.

Yoga's psychological benefits include; improvement of anxiety, depression, stress tolerance, addictive disorders, bi polar disorders, eating disorders, insomnia and overall emotional balance. Physical benefits include; improvement of chronic pain, reduction of heart rate and blood pressure, increased circulation, and function. The benefits continue; improvement in venous return of the

In today’s environment, many people are suffering with the stress and anxiety of day to day living and are finding themselves unable to cope with life’s little emergencies. Prescription drugs are on the rise due to the increasing need for people to deal with their stress and anxiety. However, many people are searching for ways to be less stressed and live a happy and healthy life without drugs. If stress and anxiety are getting the best of you, then think about grabbing a mat and giving yoga and meditation a spin. With that in mind, this paper will take a look at the benefits of yoga and meditation to create a more peaceful and healthy lifestyle.