3 Reasons why Yoga can Help with Mental & Physical Stress

If you have felt more stressed and anxious recently or have been mentally and physically drained and overwhelmed these last weeks or months, you will find here 3 reasons why yoga can help you looking after your wellbeing.

Yoga has personally saved me from depression when I was emotionally and physically burnt out, it has kept me sane and still does, every single day!

That’s why I know it can also help you by giving you tools to deal with stress, anxiety, fear or worries to name only a few. You can find ways to build physical, emotional and mental strength, that help you to not only thrive in your personal life but in any area of your life. You will gain a deeper connection with who you really are, accepting yourself for who you are and who you are not.

Let me share with you why yoga can help you with your mental, emotional and physical stress that you are going through.

(1) Yoga Reconnects Every Part of You

When we are stressed or anxious, our body, mind and emotions are disconnected and in disharmony, imbalance.

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ and means ‘to join’, ‘to yoke’, ‘to unite’. Yoga leads to harmony between the mind and body, being at peace in and with your Self, often described as bringing freedom from suffering. The sense of Oneness of your Self with the source of all life.

The benefit of yoga is that all the stress, anxiety, fear or overwhelm that we are going through in our heads over and over again, no longer seem so real. When we can find a way to stop those thoughts from repeating, over time they disappear.

(2) There is a Yoga Style for any State of Mind

Do you know that feeling when you start getting anxious, irritated and overwhelmed, maybe even angry and all you want is crying, screaming or punching a sandbag? Or when your mind is full of repeating, stress inducing thoughts that there is no way you could just sit down for a meditation? On days like these you might want to opt for a more dynamic, sweaty yoga practice. One that challenges you so much that your brain has to be totally present with the practice and breath, no chance of letting those stressful thoughts take over.

Other days when you feel drained and exhausted you might want to choose a restorative or a slow and mindful yin yoga practice. Those yoga styles still give you the benefits of moving physically into a pose although you are holding the pose for up to 5 minutes. This slow approach has a very soothing quality.

If you feel like having a little cry, let that happen too. In fact, often during a yoga practice, emotions will come up as we are releasing, creating space to relax and heal.

(3) Yoga is Not just a Physical Practice

The most valid reason for me personally is that yoga has many different components. In the Western world we often just think of the physical practice, when we talk about yoga.

However, yoga is built on 8 limbs of which only one is the physical asana (poses) practice.

Each of these limbs can help you in dealing with stress.

Let me give you a few examples:

1 Yoga is a lifestyle. When you are stressed, it is important to practice kindness, non-harm towards others and especially yourself. Watch your own thoughts, how do you talk to yourself? Be kind towards yourself as you are dealing with your struggles.

2 Control of the breath. Your breath reflects your emotions. By practicing pranayama (breathing exercises) you will learn, how you can gain control over your emotional responses by simply changing the breathing.

3 Finding stillness through turning inwards - Meditation. You can practice withdrawing the senses from something that causes stressful thoughts. When you learn to withdraw, you cultivate inner peace and gain more access to respond calmly to stressful situations. Similarly, if you keep the attention for example on the breath, you keep focusing on each in- and exhalation, staying totally present and calm. Alternatively, just sitting still in (self-)reflection allows you to go deep within.

Wrapping up, yoga can help you to reconnect to your body, mind and your emotions.

You can practice yoga anytime, anywhere and in any state of mind as there is always a practice that will suit and support you and your wellbeing.

Knowing that yoga is not just a physical practice you gain more tools to take into your life even off the mat.

If you have any questions, would love to learn more or are unsure what practice would fit you, I am happy to have a chat with you. Simply send me an email to info@patriciacreolayoga.com and I will get back to you.