Yoga is one of the best exercises a person can take up. Yoga provides physical and mental health benefits, as well as a respite from the stress and anxiety of our day-to-day lives. Practicing yoga creates a harmony between the body and mind, incorporating physical exercise with meditation to improve our overall well-being in ways that other forms of exercise cannot.
The Physical Benefits Are Great
The physical benefits of yoga are astounding. Dr. Natalie Nevins of the American Osteopathic Associations explains, “The relaxation techniques incorporated in yoga can lessen chronic pain, such as lower back pain, arthritis, headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome. Yoga can also lower blood pressure and reduce insomnia.” Other physical benefits include: increased flexibility; increased muscle strength and tone; improved respiration, energy, and vitality; improved athletic performance; weight reduction; maintaining a balanced metabolism; protection from injury, and improvements in cardio and circulatory health, according to the AOA.
Beyond the physical benefits, it provides major improvement to mental health. According to Debora Khoshaba, in a 2013 Psychology Today article entitled Take a Stand for Yoga Today, “Yoga’s positive benefits on mental health have made it an important practice tool of psychotherapy (American Psychological Association). It has been shown to enhance social well-being through a sense of belonging to others, and improve the symptoms of depression, attention deficit and hyperactivity, and sleep disorders.”
Improves Your Mental Health
Yoga can also relieve stress, reduce muscle tension, improve focus and concentration, and increase body awareness. According to Harvard Health, “Yoga develops inner awareness. It focuses your attention on your body’s abilities at the present moment. It helps develop breath and strength of mind and body. It’s not about physical appearance. The studios typically don’t have mirrors.
This is so people can focus their awareness inward rather than how a pose — or the people around them — looks. Surveys have found that those who practiced yoga were more aware of their bodies than people who didn’t practice. They were also more satisfied with and less critical of their bodies. For these reasons, yoga has become an integral part in the treatment of eating disorders and programs that promote positive body image and self-esteem.” The combined improvements in physical and mental health provided by yoga can be invaluable to an individual in the process of healing from the damages of addiction.
Your life can become one of health and happiness in sobriety. You can make the decision to seek help now and begin the rewarding journey of recovery from addiction and alcoholism. The Lakehouse Recovery Center, located on scenic Lake Sherwood in Southern California, offers a variety of rewarding activities and amenities, including yoga, kayaking, and rock climbing, to aid you in the process of personal growth in recovery. For more information about individualized treatment options, please call today: (877) 762-3707