Mental Health Benefits of Yoga You Should Know

There are many mental health benefits of yoga that would be helpful to know. Lately, you’ve been flooded with thoughts. Anxiety. Self doubt. So many questions. What if I’m not good enough for this? Or that? I wonder what my colleagues think of me. I wonder what my family thinks of me. Am I a good mom? A good sister? A good person?

We get caught up in our thoughts so often that we don’t even realize how damaging it can be. Our mind is so fast paced, jumping from one thing to another. What if I told you that you could slow it down, with some practice and patience? What if I told you about this investment for the soul and body, called yoga, that heals you from the inside out?

Anyone and everyone can go yoga! Whether it be children, teens, adults, and elders – we all have the power to implement this activity into our daily lives. It’s important that we keep our bodies moving, stretching, and strong. Ultimately, when we do we can continue to live happy and healthy lives. Yoga is just one activity that encourages this! 

Maybe you’re looking for a family friendly activity to bond with your children more. Maybe you’re looking for a healthy escape from everyday life. An escape where you can focus on one thing and one thing only. Studies have shown that yoga and related activities, like meditation, have positive benefits for individuals with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and those struggling to manage stress among more.

Facts about Yoga

Yoga is an ancient and sacred practice thought to originate in ancient India. It has become a modern day activity where individuals are invited to practice deep breathing, stretch their bodies, and practice mindfulness in peace. Meditation is a big part of yoga, as well as mantras and self affirmations.

Simi Psychological Group values the importance of practicing mindfulness and being intune with oneself. It’s an activity we recommend to all clients in helping them achieve a clear, calm state of mind. We recently teamed up with Harmony Family Yoga in Thousand Oaks to emphasize the mental health benefits of incorporating yoga into your daily routine!

Harmony Family Yoga, founded by Cici Bo and located locally in Thousand Oaks, is a yoga studio offering yoga, mindfulness meditation, and more for everyone! Children, teens, adults, familys, grandparents..you name it. Pregnant women, post natal women, come on in.

Why Should I Incorporate Yoga into my daily life?

Little beknownst, there are lots of mental health benefits for engaging in yoga. Yoga increases our self awareness. It expands our awareness of our body. It helps relieve stress, reduces muscle tensions, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms down our nervous system. 

Yoga is a great habit to incorporate into daily life and will help you build confidence. Everyday, you get more engaged in yoga, appreciate yourself more, and realize how peaceful and at rest your mind can be.

Cici, emphasizes that, “Yoga is non religious, and it helps us to open our heart and release any emotional blockage,” by stimulating all our senses in our body by integrating poses with controlled breathing. Yoga is different from traditional exercises as it directs our attention inwards. “It’s an experience,” she says, “as it is much different than having a sweaty workout”

Benefits of Family Yoga

There is great importance in spending quality time with every family member. Family yoga is a great opportunity for kids, parents, and even grandparents to spend happy and healthy moments with each other. Within family yoga, adults “reconnect with their inner-child”, which is defined as a person’s supposed original or true self, usually damaged or concealed by negative experiences. 

Cici says that, “family yoga puts the children and their caregivers at an equal position to learn from each other in a non competitive environment. Enjoy practicing yoga together while we support each other, and most importantly, to  have fun,” highlighting that yoga is supposed to be a fun activity for all!

Benefits of Child Yoga

Yoga is not an activity just for adults. It’s actually very beneficial to teach yoga and yogi behaviors at a young age. Yoga is a stress-relieving exercise. It can help kids self regulate and take control over their emotions. This will help them out as they grow up and experience new things – both good and bad. 

Harmony Family Yoga believes that there are many benefits of child yoga. Child yoga enhances concentration and aids in developing strength and body awareness. It helps children learn to build self esteem and resilience. It helps connect them to others their age in a safe, nurturing environment!

With yoga comes meditation. You may ask, how can my silly, energetic child be able to sit still through meditation and serene yoga poses? Cici’s family yoga group offers lessons on breathing and specializes in teaching young ones about meditation. By creating stories that children can visualize during the process of meditating, their imaginations kick into picture, for example, someone at peace in the story. 

Benefits of Teen Yoga

Teenage angst – the feeling of being misunderstood alongside irritability and sadness. If you have a teenager, you know that the angst can get real. They feel lonely in their struggles, don’t yet know how to define themselves, and feel like no one is truly listening to them. 

Teen therapy at Simi Psychological Group provides the tools and coping mechanisms needed for teens to become self aware, however consider trying out teen yoga at Harmony Family Yoga!

Yoga is a great activity for pushing for that self awareness we want our teens to develop. Cici describes how teen yoga creates opportunities for: becoming physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy, helps connect them with their growing bodies, can aid in solving sleep problems and breaking unhealthy patterns in a safe, nurturing environment. 

Children and teens can become so distracted these days, whether it be with social media, apps on phones, or trying to be someone they are not. It’s important to remind our children and teens to take a look deep within themselves. 

These distractions affect their sleep schedules, self esteem levels, creating restless minds, and the risks of built up stress and anxiety that can lead to confidence issues and even more serious problems. 

Our Simi Valley therapists incorporate meditation and mindfulness practices to help you, your teen, and your family!

Mental health benefits of Yoga: Breathing Techniques 

In yoga, breathing control and various breathing techniques are used to either calm or energize the individual. 

Harmony Family Yoga speaks on The Flower Breath: Sit up right with relaxed shoulders and a relaxed face. You envision a sweet smelling flower, inhaling it in, and blowing out against the flower. Take deep breaths to pretend to smell the sweet flower, exhale through your mouth, and begin to tune into the sound of your breath. Continue to envision the look, smell, and color of the flower. 

Practicing breathing exercises helps to regulate our nervous system and slow down these racing thoughts we have. By practicing different breathing techniques, you can effectively reduce stress levels in your body, lower your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and better regulate your body’s reaction to stress. 

Want to learn more about yoga, the different types of activities involved in yoga, and the amazing (and proven) benefits for your mental health? Be sure to check out Harmony Family Yoga!

In addition to yoga, consider starting therapy with one of our passionate and caring therapists over at Simi Psychological Group. 

Now Offering Online Therapy in Los Angeles and Online Counseling Ventura County 

At our Simi Valley therapy practice we offer Child therapy and family counseling, Teen therapy, Anxiety Treatment, Depression Therapy, Marriage Counseling, and Neuropsychological Testing.