every wondered why yoga makes you feel so good?
yoga for better mental health
Ever wondered what it is about yoga, that makes you feel so good? If you google yoga and better mental health, 200million results come up. On the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) over 495 pieces of research are quoted. Most of this research concludes that yoga has a beneficial effect on mental health, but many studies are small and in some cases very niche. It can be difficult to pin down exactly how or what works in yoga but the evidence is that yoga helps us to feel better. Researchers found that yoga helps to keep our blood pressure healthy, we sleep better, we are happier. Happiness is a difficult thing to measure, but it is so important for our health and well being. The theme of Mental Health Awareness week in 2019 was #BeBodyKind. That is one thing that yoga can help with: by bringing a greater awareness to our body, we learn to treat it with greater compassion.
Research roundup
I co-wrote a blog with Kat Farrants the founder of Movement for Modern Life which rounds up research on how yoga has a positive effect on our mental health. From encouraging us to breathe better and more fully, develop a kind attitude towards our bodies and how we feel about our appearance to supporting us to move, strengthen and lengthen, yoga has many ways in which it supports not only our physical health but also our mental health. You can find out more by reading the whole post on the Movement for Modern Life blog.
