In the fast paced world that we live in today, finding time for your mental health can be very challenging. Most people pin their happiness on their products because we have learned that anything that does not bring us any material outcome is a complete waste of time. Most people talk about their hectic routine because they feel they do not have enough time for exercise and rightfully so. In the corporate, capitalistic world that we live in today, most of us wake up in the morning only to have enough time to get ready and rush to our work. Throughout the day, you sit behind a desk and work till your legs are numb and you have back pain, only to gather your things back home. On reaching home most people just have enough time to have a meal and go to sleep. This mundane routine is taking a toll on most of us because our bodies have not been designed for this. Instead, we are struggling to catch up.
Experts say that for exercises you do not need so much time, instead just a few minutes of walk or yoga will be enough for you. As winter is approaching, staying in bed and finding cozy spaces to cuddle will become inevitable. More people like to stay indoors so they can avoid the cold but this eventually starts to take a toll on their overall mental health. According to a psychologist, your body movement and getting exposed to the sun are two of the most important things that can help you avoid mental health-related issues. When mental health and exercises come to mind most people think about mediation only, however, if you take mediation one step further and add some stretching exercises you will get yoga.
With the help of this article, we will highlight the importance of yoga in our daily life and how it helps in improving our mental health over time. We will also talk about some of the ways yoga helps in improving our mental peace.
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Three Simple Exercises to Help You Improve Your Mental Health
Positive Imagery
Positive imagery is a great way to find an anchor in your mind that will help you calm your whole body. In most cases people get very angry that they are unable to control their emotions, positive imagery offers you a good anchor that will hold you in all kinds of emotions. Apart from that, you will see that everything will start changing when you are no longer depending on your emotions, instead, your emotions are depending on you. Start by sitting in a comfortable position and then for the first few seconds start with deep breathing. After a few minutes you need to close your eyes and imagine yourself in a happy, calm place. Most people find a happy childhood moment but it is better to find a neutral emotion because sometimes a happy anchor doesn’t work in all situations. The best thing is to find a green field where you can sit. Grassy patches or water also play a very important role in finding a suitable anchor for positive imagery.
Muscle Relaxation Therapy
Muscle relaxation therapy is a great way to calm your body after a hectic day. Most people complain that they do not have enough time for workouts or meditation but only 15 minutes of muscle relaxation therapy will help them feel relaxed without exhausting their bodies. You can start with finding a good posture that is comfortable. Most people take help from a wall, others want to stay in their bed whereas there are a few who find it easier to sit in their garden. Whatever suits you best you can choose accordingly? Once you feel comfortable, now start by deep breathing and then start to relax your muscles. Start with the head and they move to shoulders, chest, arms, hands, stomach all the way to your toes. This is a great way to have a good posture and relaxing muscles especially helping you reduce stiffness in the body after a hectic workday.
Deep Breathing Yoga
For this, you can just hit the hero pose and focus on the way you are breathing. Let the air in from the nose and then use your mouth to let out the air. Now maintain your posture and keep your back straight, make sure you have your hands on your knees. Now close your eyes and imagine sitting on a stone that is placed in a flowing stream. You can use music, especially rain music to calm you down. This will take 15 minutes to get in the zone, now start to imagine that you are maintaining the posture because you do not want to slip from the stone. This is a great exercise for posture as well and your brain will muster the courage to stay focused regardless of whatever is going on outside. Most people start with music and guided imagery but after a few sessions, you will not need music to stay focused.
Bottom Line
To sum it all up it all comes down to the way you practice yoga. Yoga has a very broad scope and you cannot restrict its benefits in just a few words. Yoga helps you improve your physical health as well as mental health which is the reason experts and psychologists recommend people to stick with yoga. Yoga is not only helpful for young people so it can help them find a good way to channel their energy, it is ideal for kids who find it hard to focus and old people who want to stay fit. In case you are an adult who is suffering from back pain, yoga will help you cure that as well. Overall, it is a great way to help your body and mind to stay in sync. In fact, there are different yoga workouts that you can use and customize according to your need. There is hot yoga, Bikram yoga, Zen yoga, and much more depending on your aim. If you want to lose weight Bikram yoga can help you, however, if you want to strengthen your body and calm yourself you can take help from hot yoga.
About Author
Ann Edwards is the fully qualified personal trainer from Elite sports. She has been helping people in the field of bodybuilding and fitness from more than a decade. Her career in nutrition and physical therapy has made her a fine addition for our team.