The Effects of Yoga on Mental Health

We’re always hearing people talk about the connection between yoga and improved mental health, but is there research-backed facts on this subject? Yes, there is.

I’m not going to bore you with insights on an article from 2002 which found that a group of people in the U.S who practiced Yoga regularly had lower cortisol levels, compared to a group that didn’t practice Yoga at all. The fact is, that Yoga can help people in different ways and everyone has a different reason to partake in the practice. Most people find that their intention in their first class will be completely different to their intention 6 months down the line, and personally I found that my mental stability had improved massively as time went on without any kind of force or focus on it.

So here’s a true story about my journey with Yoga…

Bright eyed and ready to achieve the Yoga body of my dreams, I walked into my first Yoga class. Now, it wasn’t exactly what I would call a typical Yoga class; Dimly lit, quiet, calming, serene, zen, blah, blah.. but a huge group of people chatting together, in what I can only recall as a paper-thin walled spare gym equipment room next door to the ultra hyped up spin studio. The instructor had a microphone with a faulty connection that would make me jump when I heard the screech of “HJASKL?NFSJ” – cue to move on.

Honestly I didn’t know what to expect as Instagram models certainly weren’t a thing way back when and Yoga teachers were the new kids on the Western world block. The chatter felt like a community of friends gathered, rather than a crowd of strangers. My breathing drowned out most of the other surrounding noises and my body felt good afterwards. However, do you know how I left that equipment room? Bored. That’s right! Bored! I was so out of tune with my own body and mind that I figured I had wasted a hour of my time in the gym that I could have spent running on a treadmill. The thing is that Yoga isn’t about holding a plank until you’re about to throw up or wrapping your legs around your head, it’s about perseverance. In Yoga we exercise our mind, so through the practice of physical postures and breath, our aim is to strengthen our focus and make room for flowing energy throughout the body by loosening up areas of tension. Which then leads us into a practice of meditation. Thankfully I persevered. 

I managed to sustain a regular practice for a while, I found a suitable studio called my living room with an astounding teacher called Youtube. I would do a quick 20 minute stretch every chance I got throughout the week and would try twisting and bending myself into pretzel-like shapes in my longer practices.

Time moves on around us, we fall in and out and in and out of routines. The only consistent pattern I began to notice was that when I wasn’t on my matt, I found myself able to concentrate more, my breathing felt full and consistent like I had finally relaxed out of the ‘fight or flight mode’ shallow breathing had chained me into. Queuing in a shop now didn’t seem to bother me, patience felt like a natural trait rather than a forced curtesy and don’t get me started on my work life; clock watching became a thing of the past, I could get through a to do list without procrastinating in the coffee room and conversations with my boss became clear and precise rather than jumbled and jittery.

My point to all of this, is that I find Yoga to be magical in whichever way you need it to be, without you forcing it to be. A regular practice of Meditation can be massively beneficial if you’re looking to improve your focus, mental health and well-being, however if like me you find it hard to sit still for more than 5 minutes, then pairing Asana (movement) with Prana (Breath) can be equally as meditative. Try going on a solo walk, focus on your breath, on each foot as it makes contact with the ground, on the individual muscles moving in your leg as it works hard to keep you upright and strong. Doing something as simple as this can bring you great focus and gratitude for the body that shows up for you every single day.

 To fall in love with Yoga, is to fall in love with yourself.