It is no surprise today if you are down with depression, anxiety or PTSD. It has become one of those commonplace disorders or conditions prevalent in almost all humans that you come across. So come let us together discover how yoga can work magic on you to help you stay cool and calm in such a chaotic world.
Various Yoga Postures to Elevate Mental Health
Once regarded as an insignificant part of Indian culture, yoga, the 3,000 year old tradition today has come to occupy an important part of the Western world in their journey to good health. Yoga is a form of mind-body fitness regime that mindfully helps an individual to focus on self-awareness and redirect all the positive energy to one’s soul. In keeping with these benefits, yoga has developed several diverse yoga postures for different mental health conditions like anxiety, stress and depression and their rectifications. Similarly, there are several yoga poses for mental health which are becoming imminent in today’s world.
Balasana or Child’s Pose
Balasana or a child’s pose is a pose that is for beginners. It helps to stretch the arms, back and shoulders and also opens up the hips. It also helps to focus on the breath and relieve stress. Balasana helps to soothe and calm the brain and also restore and maintain balance and equilibrium. The pose is so flexible and easy that it can be practiced any time of the day or any time a person is in need of a break.
Sukhasana or Easy Pose
The name easily suggests the pose type. It is an easy pose that is also for beginners. It helps to open up the groins and hips and improves posture. Since it is difficult to find comfort in this pose, it teaches the person how to use whatever resources they have in hand. It also relaxes the mind by relieving it of stress, anxiety and distress.
Bakasana or Crane’s Pose
This pose balances the arms and targets the upper half of the body. It helps to stretch the buttocks, thighs, wrist flexors, hamstrings, arms, shoulders, forearms and wrist extensors. This pose helps to improve focus.
Chakrasana or Wheel Pose
This is a pose that helps to alleviate menstrual discomfort and also boosts the nervous system, thereby increasing the level of energy in an individual. It gets its name because of the wheel shape that the body takes. The wheel pose is effective in helping both the autonomic and parasympathetic nervous systems. It also aids in making them work together in an efficient manner. The pose requires a lot of focus and concentration which is good for mental health.
Dhanurasana or Bow Pose
The pose gets its name from the body taking the shape of a bow. It helps to stretch the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest muscles, neck, and abdomen and straightens a drooping back. It stimulates various organs in the body, eases constipation, and indigestion. Most importantly, it is a very good stress buster and helps to reduce fatigue. It stimulates the adrenal and thyroid glands as well.
Also read – Confronting Molestation in Yoga and Spiritual Communities
Yoga and PTSD
It is a condition where people affected by it find it difficult to control their emotions and impulses. With the various yoga postures, a significant reduction in physiological arousal is noticed. They help the autonomic nervous system that can control the stimuli which ultimately goes to reduce the stress caused by intrusive memories. Meditation is another way to keep the condition at bay. The most effective yoga poses for this are:
- · Hatha yoga
- · Kundalini yoga
- Tadasana pose
- Kapal Bhati Pranayama
- Konasana pose
Yoga and ADHD
Yoga has proven to abet in the reduction in symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. It helps by aiding the person to focus on breath control and mindfulness, manage their levels of energy and control their impulses. Some studies revealed that with 12 weeks of yoga practice, the hyperactivity and inattention symptoms improved. The best yoga poses for adults with this condition are:
- Easy pose
- Savasana pose
- Cobra pose
For children with this condition the best poses are:
- Downward facing dog
- Tree pose
- Cat-cow pose
Conclusion
With patience and devotion, people practicing yoga can experience the wonders that the poses can work for the betterment of mental health in individuals.
