Yoga for Mental Health
Do you struggle with stress, anxiety or feeling overwhelmed? Are you looking for ways to support your mental health? This course includes a range of yoga classes from 15 minutes to 55 minutes, each designed to help you to prioritise yourself and your mental wellbeing.
The course includes:
– Yoga for Stress Relief
– Yin Yoga for Calm and Relaxation
– Yoga for Self-Acceptance
– Yoga for Better Sleep
– Yoga for Focus
– Yoga for Balance
How can yoga support your mental health?
Release happy endorphins: Yoga can trigger the release of “feel-good” chemicals in the brain. These mood boosting chemicals include brain messengers such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Although yoga movements are slow and controlled, they still elevate your heart rate, make the muscles work hard, and stimulate the release of brain chemicals. As a result, yoga can make you happier.
Reduce stress: When Americans answered a survey about why they practiced yoga, 86% of them said that it helped to deal with stress. The tightening and relaxing of muscles can reduce both physical and mental tension, combining this with self-awareness learned through yoga practice can help to reduce feelings of stress and overwhelm.
Ease anxiety: Yoga can reduce anxiety – and is the main reason I started practicing yoga in the first place. The breath training included in yoga can be especially effective, as it can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) versus the sympathetic nervous system (fight and flight) which can take over when we are anxious.
Improve sleep: Research suggests that yoga can improve sleep. Incorporating a relaxing yoga practice into your night-time routine may improve the quality and duration of your sleep. This is especially beneficial for people who sleep lightly, have insomnia, or have limited time to sleep.
Introduction
Yoga for Mental Health
This calming yin class gives you the opportunity to hold each pose for 3 minutes, letting your body sink down towards the earth and letting your mind relax. Make sure you have any props nearby - cushions, blankets, and perhaps a bolster or block to help you feel supported in the poses.
If you'd like to use a calming playlist alongside this class, tap the link in the resources section.
Join Swedish yogi Maja for this slow flow class, focusing on getting out of your head and into your heart. This class includes yin-like postures to help get into the fascia (connective tissue) of the body.
Thank you
