Mental health issues are widely prevalent in human life.
Stress, anxiety, or even depression can feel overwhelming, making tools for mental well-being more important than ever.
Thus, the essential tools help us get rid of them and enjoy our lives. The practice of yoga, which is one of the means of maintaining well-being, has been getting more and more popular.
However, the question is: What type of yoga can help with mental health?
Read on to see how a holistically mutual focus on body, mind, and breath connects individuals to the five senses, thoughts, and feelings, thus helping them to heal emotionally.
Yoga and Mental Health – The Connection
Yoga is an ancient technique that has the power to heal both body and mind. It brings great rewards for both physical and mental health.
The practice not only adapts the body to its natural functions (flexibility and strength); but also, beyond that, the body to a more balanced and unified state.
Research has proved that yoga reduces cortisol, which is the main hormone of stress in the body.
It can also improve mood, increase focus, and sharpen emotional resilience.
Depending on your mental health targets— be it an increase in attention, reduction of anxiety or easing of heavy mood—specialized types of yoga will give you unique advantages which other types cannot deliver.
What Type of Yoga is Right for Mental Health?
Now, to answer the question of what type of yoga can help with mental health, we need to understand that different styles of yoga serve different purposes.
The following are some of them:
1. Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is a gentle style that is suitable for beginners and places a balance between the breath and movement.
It is mainly recommended for people who are too stressed out and have anxiety as it is mainly concerned with slowing down, relaxation and slow-paced poses
Include this as a movement practice that promotes mental health and can help calm the mind and reduce nervous energy.
2. Yin Yoga
It aims at speeding up a body’s repair process by creating poses held for more extended periods and by self-observation.
Yin yoga is a wonderful tool for solving many emotional issues, due to the fact that it promotes self-awareness and mindfulness by practicing it.
If you are in distress and have been attempting to explore psych yoga, try the slow-paced option to reconnect with your emotions and free your mind of clutter.
3. Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep)
Is yoga primarily a physical movement or is yoga meditation as well?
One thing that takes the position is Yoga Nidra meditation.
Yoga Nidra, a technique that uses deep relaxation to reduce the symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and sleep disorders, is a type of meditation and should not be limited to the physical aspect of yoga.
It is a mindful sleep and healing technique through relaxation that soothingly connects the person to the environment.
4. Vinyasa Flow
If you are feeling agitated and uneasy due to mental health issues, then you should try out Vinyasa.
This dynamic, rhythmic style of yoga unites the poses gracefully by moving with the breath, thereby creating focus and presence. Want better yoga and focus alignment?
Vinyasa keeps you alert to the present moment, thus keeping trust and a sense of the center.
5. Restorative Yoga
You prepare for restorative yoga by placing props in such a way that there is total support for your body in easy, reclining positions.
If you are already burnt out, tired, or faced with high emotions, Restorative yoga would be the best idea for you.
It aims to calm the body to the point at which the release of accumulated stress and tension is possible.
Many see it as an ideal form of yoga for the mind.
Benefits of Yoga for Mental Health
Besides the above-mentioned models, regular yoga contributes to mental benefits, a great deal when coupled with mindfulness or meditation techniques.
- Builds a stronger mind-body connection: In yoga, you focus on your feelings, breath, and emotions, which will quiet down your mind and aid you in living in the present moment. Hence, you can manage your emotions better.
- Enhances focus: It happens to people with scattered thoughts that their focus improves significantly when they practice yoga. Asanas with breath combined, such as Vinyasa or Hatha, are particularly great for fostering yoga and focus.
- Relieves anxiety: Mindful yoga practices, such as gentle stretching and deep breathing, can effectively engage the parasympathetic system associated with the stress response of the nervous system and thereby, reduce stress and give relaxation to the mind.
- Improves mood through movement: Endorphins are released while exercising, which in turn relieve anxiety and uplift the mood while negativity dissipates. It is the reason why the use of some yoga poses for mental health is quite capable of acting as a natural form of a self-healing tool.
Yoga Poses for Mental Health You Can Try Today
For all those mental health-focused yoga practices, here is a list of some postures that can stimulate feeling peaceful and grounded:
- Child’s Pose (Balasana) – This classic resting pose soothes self-doubt, anxiety, and racing thoughts.
- Legs-Up-The-Wall (Viparita Karani) – Exhibits profound relaxation and stress relief. Best restorative after a hard day or when feeling overwhelmed.
- Tree Pose (Vrksasana) – Among the many benefits of this pose are improvement in balancing and sharpening your focus while also being able to ground your energy.
- Corpse Pose (Savasana) – The pose is typically used at the end of the class; it invites deep relaxation and mental stillness.
Every single one of the listed above is a movement practice that promotes mental health. Roll out your mat and begin to do them!
Finding the Right Yoga Approach for You
Whether you’re an experienced yogi or just starting, there’s something for everyone. It could be super useful for you to sign up for a facility in your area that provides yoga classes.
Or you could pick an online class to go through or even do your own research at home with video tutorials.
A little research could help you spot trainers who have undergone certification mode and can provide customized plans to match your emotions.
And one more thing, be patient.
Regular yoga forms are always thought to advance over time and it’s when you keep on practicing that they result in the greatest good.
Test them out until you find the right one for you. Posture styles and techniques can be a trial until you get the one that brings comfort to your internal struggle.
Final Thoughts
The most important thing to hold onto when talking about what type of yoga can help with mental health is diversity.
No matter if it’s Hatha for getting the often-nervous parts of your life under control, Vinyasa for the restless moments, or Yin for self-reflection, there is a variety of yoga types to get satisfaction from the situation for every person.
Want to bring your yoga practice to the next level? At Healizm, we are proficient in mixing ancient wisdom with customized modern techniques.
Make your decision to start the healing of your mental health through yoga right now.
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