“You may not be able to control the whole world, but you may learn to control your inner world through yoga.”

- Debasish Mridha

Yoga is a very ancient practice that, little by little, has made its way into western society. Yoga helps cultivate the body, mind, and spirit.

Through postures, meditation, and breathing, yoga fosters one’s ability to relax, achieving significant changes in health. Yoga is so important that it has been used as preventive medicine and for rehabilitation. Thanks to this activity and discipline, we obtain improved well-being and inner peace, which, together with a healthy diet, helps us to live more optimally.

As we have already said, yoga cultivates our minds, but do you know all the benefits it implies? Today we share how yoga helps our minds without us realizing it.

It reduces stress

The world we live in is dominated by haste, the need always to be attentive to the clock, punctuality, obligations, and excess work, all sources of stress that we cannot avoid or eliminate. This is why yoga is an excellent practice for anyone suffering from recurring stress in their life.

And that's not all. More severe problems such as depression or anxiety can affect us during life if we cannot control stress. How does yoga help our mental health?

Yoga helps reduce cortisol levels, a hormone that is released when the body senses stress. It is a vital hormone, but when it increases in situations where we don't need it, it has many adverse effects on our body. For this, yoga helps reduce the levels of this hormone and, consequently, reduce stress.

Improves sleep and mood

Like the cortisol we talked about earlier, serotonin helps regulate sleep and our mood. Due to stress, we often sleep less, which affects our mood. It's all connected!

Practicing yoga increases serotonin levels, which helps you rest better. If you sleep better, you will wake up better. The more tired you are, the worse your mood will be, so start practicing yoga.

Extends your life

For anyone who thinks life is too short, we have good news for you today. Yoga can extend your life because it promotes a healthy lifestyle. Practicing yoga can prevent aging and premature death, and degenerative diseases.

Do you know how long it takes for the body to notice the effects of yoga? It takes 15 to 20 minutes a day to see changes in our neurons and brains.

These changes in our brains and neurons throughout our being help us live longer, reduce stress, sleep better, perform more, and focus better. Yoga improves coordination, concentration, memory, and learning. This is good news for students and those suffering from high-stress levels.

The psychotherapeutic power of the breath

Did you know that breath and mind are also connected and influence each other? That's right: conscious breathing (pranayama) favors the development of new and positive mental attitudes.

Calm, deep breathing relaxes the mind and helps overcome fear. Diaphragmatic breathing promotes a clear sense and eliminates anxiety. Breathing into the chest helps remove emotional blocks. Deep inhalation has energizing effects. The deep exhalation has relaxing effects.

Yoga helps not only our physical shape but also our mental one. By practicing regularly, you will notice benefits from multiple points of view, such as:

· reduction of anxiety and stress

· better ability to concentrate

· increased self-confidence

· development of positive and open attitudes

· ability to control emotions

· stimulus to grow and to increase one's willpower

Ready to release positive energies? Have you also noticed these advantages in the practice of yoga? If you like, tell us about your journey. We would love to read about your experience!

Asili Wellness offers yoga therapy merged with traditional talk therapy to improve your health and well-being. Through our Yoga + Talk Therapy sessions, we work with you in creating your happiness and enhancing your ability to naturally promote health, prevent disease, encourage self-care, and foster healing in your own life!