Yoga – Connect Your Mind And Body To Feel Inner Peace
The demanding world we live in has driven many to seek urgent help to deal with mental health problems like chronic stress and panic attacks. Unfortunately, it has become common practice to rely on pharmaceuticals to keep up with the burdensome workload and the busy family life while, at the same time, trying to maintain our mental health and to Feel Inner Peace.visit here
Most of the time we opt for activities that require little effort in order to unwind. These activities are often watching T.V, playing video games, or navigating through social media. Even though these activities are common, they are often not the appropriate ones to calm our minds. If one is too stressed or too anxious, none of these will help as our mind will probably keep going back to the problem. Fortunately, alternative practices like yoga come into the mix to help find the balance between body and mind and, through constant practice, achieve and feel inner peace.
An Introduction to Yoga to Feel Inner Peace
Yoga is a practice that originated more than 3,000 years ago in India. The practice consists of regular movements that involve all parts of the body, and the mindful practice of breathing with every movement. There are many types of yoga, but the most practiced in the West are Vinyasa, Hatha, and Ashtanga. The difference between one to another is minimal, yet the benefits remain the same.
As any other holistic practice, it promotes the idea of unity between our body, mind, energy and soul. It promotes the protection and growth of this union through a series of poses designed to recognize this connection and let the energy flow. Its main objective is to bring peace and awareness of one’s self, and to feel in harmony with the world.
The Effects of Yoga on the Body and Mind
As yoga’s popularity rose over the decades, eventually becoming one of the most adopted practices worldwide, many researchers became interested in learning about its potential. In particular, they wanted to validate the effects of consistent yoga practice on our overall health.
Those who practice yoga regularly can tell the difference in their body, but the benefits of yoga go far beyond that. A study written by Karen Pilkington et al. focused on the influence that yoga has on depressed patients. The study reported that different yoga interventions were used on a number of patients suffering from mild to severe depression. The conclusion after experimentation was that all types of yoga worked because they significantly increased serotonin levels. There was no distinction between the regularity of exercising through yoga, yet they concluded that the more one practices it the better the results will be.
Arndt Büssing et al. also compiled in their study the many therapeutic effects related to a regular yoga practice. The findings are that most people who get into yoga do it because they suffer from stress, anxiety, depression, and sleeping problems. They found that in anxiety disorders, for example, the practice of yogic breathing is remarkable because it helps to bring focus to the present and become conscious of the surroundings. They also discussed the promising results of yoga as an intervention for patients who suffer from PTSD. The groups consisted of patients with PTSD caused by natural disasters and those with PTSD caused by violence and war. The results showed that yoga notably improved sleep problems, anxiety, and other symptoms related to the patient’s PTSD. Those who practiced yoga for longer periods showed better results than those who did it for a week. Regardless, the conclusion was that most of them improved their symptoms significantly.
Similarly, other research has found that consistent yoga practice can help with chronic pain. Catherine Woodyard, executive director of Tallahatchie General Hospital, wrote that one of the most significant physical changes in yoga users is added flexibility. The constant movement and repetition of poses helps loosen the tissue that protects the bones and joints and, therefore, aids in the reduction of pain. Multiple studies have provided consistent evidence that yoga reduces lower back pain considerably. So much so that it is recognized as an effective, non-invasive way to help people suffering from this condition. Yoga also helps build muscle mass, promotes oxygen flow and reach more parts of the body, and improves cardiovascular endurance.
Conclusion
It is not surprising that yoga became one of the most practiced exercises in the past years. It improves our health in countless ways, from enhancing our physical resistance to helping with sleeping problems. It also gained popularity because it supports all types of bodies and is beneficial for all ages because it is a gentle physical activity. Practicing yoga also helps to connect with our spirit and connect with nature. All these benefits highlight how yoga can help not only our physical body, but also our mental peace and spiritual connection. This makes yoga a unique practice to achieve health and inner peace.
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