It’s A Valuable Form of Exercise

Yoga is a phenomenal way to improve your mental health. The act, after all, releases endorphins responsible for making you feel happy and energetic. However, if running laps around your neighborhood sounds like a nightmare, you can always start small. To improve your physical fitness, give a yoga-based workout a try.
There is a category of yoga out there for everyone, no matter what their level of fitness looks like. No — you don’t have to be able to fold yourself into a pretzel, despite popular belief.

Restorative yoga is great for beginners, as it emphasizes basic and easy poses and improves posture. Restorative classes also utilize tools like blocks, to increase your level of flexibility. However, for a more challenging option, vinyasa yoga is almost guaranteed to get your heart pumping and your body sweating.

Yoga Can Help Improve Your Self Image

Your self-image plays a huge role in your state of mental wellness. After all, you want to feel confident and love the body you’re in. Find a mantra that encompasses the love you have for your body and all it does for you. Chant this throughout your next session, and believe it. Alternatively, you can give thanks to specific body parts as you work through a flow. For example, thank your lungs for breathing in the air every time you take a breath. Thank your legs for carrying you from place to place when stretching in Warrior II pose.

If you struggle with low self-esteem, positive self-talk is one way you can shape a new mindset. Remember to be kind to your body, and embrace your imperfections. Practicing yoga, in turn, can help you feel more gracious for the little things.

It Can Establish and Create a Routine In Your Daily Life

As human beings, we thrive best when we’ve implemented a solid routine for ourselves. A morning class can help get you out of bed in the morning — and start your day off on the right foot. By making your first choice of the day a healthy one, you’ll create a positive chain of events. You’ll put yourself first and make healthier decisions that will add up and lead to an overall healthier and happier lifestyle.

Yoga is a Stress Reliever

Stress is an unavoidable and uncontrollable part of life.

However, you can control how your body reacts to it. If you need to control your stress levels, yoga can assist you with that. Take some time out of your day to shut your bedroom door, play some relaxing music, and go through a series of relaxing poses. Whether you’re a parent, or just someone overconsumed with work or school, spending some time taking care of yourself is crucial. Self-love isn’t just about face masks and eating ice-cream. Sometimes, you have to put in the work.
Yoga can also help you locate and stretch some of the tight regions of your body to unwind after a long day.

It Helps You Learn to Control Your Breath

Learning how to breathe properly, especially during times of great stress is a significant life skill. When we’re stressed or anxious, we can often forget to breathe properly, which can cause us to hyperventilate or have panic attacks. It’s a frightening feeling — our emotions are in control, and we are just along for the ride. However, to successfully break this cycle, one must learn how to separate those feelings from what is actually going on around them.
Yoga is a practice that focuses primarily on the breath. Using these techniques can help you learn how to self soothe during times of high anxiety.
Best of all, you can use these breathing techniques, wherever you are.

Yoga can help you learn how to be more mindful of and respectful to your physical body, therefore it’s a great tool for improving your mental health. The practice may also help you make healthier choices throughout the day. It may also improve your self-esteem and teach you how to handle stress and deal with anxiety-inducing situations.

Whether you suffer from anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem, yoga is a practice that can benefit anyone, regardless of who you are or where you come from.