Between work and your busy home life, you can’t seem to grab two seconds to breathe. The stress you’re under is intense and you feel like the entire weight of the world is on your shoulders. If this sounds like you, it might be time for you to slow down and try to squeeze yoga for mind relaxation into your schedule.
There are many mental benefits of yoga. Stress is only one thing that it can take care of. It can also help you build a relationship with yourself, better your relationship with your partner, boost your intelligence, and kick depression to the curb.
Keep reading to learn more about why you should sign up for classes today.
It Moves You Over to the Parasympathetic Nervous System
There are two different parts of your nervous system, the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system is what's in charge of your "fight or flight" mode. The parasympathetic nervous system is better known as the "rest and digest" mode.
The calm, deep breathing associated with yoga can switch you out of "fight or flight" mode and put your body and mind into a state of ease.
It Helps You Build a Relationship with Yourself
As you delve deep into yoga, you'll start to see yourself in a new light. It's sort of like doing a trust exercise with yourself. You'll suddenly start to become aware of the value that you possess which will have you exercising more and paying closer attention to your diet.
This newfound sense of self will give you a boost of confidence without overinflating your ego, of course. Yoga is all about balance after all.
It Will Improve Your Relationship with Your Partner as Well
Yoga won't only improve your relationship with yourself. It will improve your relationship with your partner as well. One of the main reasons why people break up is misplaced anger.
You come home from a bad day at work and take it out on your spouse when one of their little quirks pushes you over the edge. Yoga will help you learn to manage your anger so you don't take it out on your poor unsuspecting spouse.
Going off of our last point, when you start to appreciate yourself more, you'll begin to appreciate all of your partner's "annoying" little quirks as well.
It Can Boost Your Intelligence
Taking yoga can actually make you more intelligent, believe it or not. The practice has the power to link the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid with the other cells in your brain. This will reduce depression but that's not all it does.
You see, the more cells that are connected in your brain, the more cognitive functionality and memory you'll have access to. You'll feel smarter and be able to process information much faster and easier.
It Decreases Stress and Improves the Mood
Going back to the example above, low GABA levels are considered to be one cause of depression. As soon as activity increases and it becomes connected to your other brain cells, your depression will become a thing of the past.
Yoga will also increase other hormones in your brain such as, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. You'll feel happy and more energetic. Not to mention you might get a sudden spark of inspiration to go finish up that creative project that you've been neglecting.
You also won't have as much anxiety clouding your mood. As the happy chemicals in your brain begin to come alive, your cortisol levels go down. Cortisol is the hormone in your brain that causes you to feel fear.
Cortisol is also known to make the size of your brain's prefrontal cortex shrink. Without your prefrontal cortex intact, it will be harder for you to practice helpful skills such as self-discipline.
It Can Help You Overcome a Traumatic Experience
A traumatic experience is something that can and will haunt you for the rest of your days. While yoga can't make that experience go away, it can help you cope with it to some degree.
Delving into yoga will send you into a more primal state of being. This will allow you to tackle your fears head-on in a safe environment that's free from any stimulus that might send you into a relapse.
Again, it will also reduce the cortisol levels in your brain so you can push your anxiety down and focus on developing healthy coping mechanisms.
It Can Reduce Pain Symptoms
If you've suffered from some kind of injury, yoga can help you manage your pain symptoms. While you may not be able to physically do the poses with a broken limb, there's still a way for you to practice the teachings. That is through meditation.
The mindfulness techniques used in meditation has a great effect on the parts of your brain that are responsible for managing pain. After a while of practicing these techniques, your sensitivity to pain will go down.
This being said, meditation isn't a replacement for surgery or the regular treatment methods suggested to you by your doctor. It's just a way to quell your pain symptoms until you heal.
The Many Uses of Yoga for Mind Relaxation
There are many reasons to consider yoga for mind relaxation. It interferes with parts of your brain to reduce fear, promote happiness, boost your intelligence, and it can even make it easier for someone to recover from an injury.
So, what are you waiting for? Book a class or grab a mat and a little relaxing music to practice yoga at home. We can help you with the music part. Go here to browse through our selection of relaxing yoga music.
