In The UK this week is The Mental Health Awareness Week, hosted by Mental Health Foundation. I have written about this topic before and it is a real pleasure to notice how, as the years go by, there is more and more awareness on the importance of taking care of our mental health and the different forms mental health issues can take. The society at large is more and more comfortable addressing these issues in an open and non-judgemental way and this can only benefit all of us.
Obviously mental health is not an issue just for one week a year, just like a good mental health is more than just absence of a mental health problem. Stress and anxiety for instance are issues that touch all of us at least some point in our lives: School or university exams, professional demands and relationship challenges are unavoidable but luckily there are ways to ease their toll on us.
No surprises here, I am of course talking about yoga and mindfulness. It widely recognised through clinical studies that both yoga and mindfulness can be an effective way to help us during tough times. Read on to find out how.
The Power of Breath – Pranayama – Brings on Calm and Relieves Anxiety
To keep things simple, just focusing on lengthening inhales and exhales, whilst breathing through the nose, is a very effective way to bring stillness to the mind. You can try counting during inhales and exhales to help to keep the rhythm even, with the added bonus that when you count quietly in your mind, it is pretty hard to have other thoughts disturbing you.
Yoga Postures – The Asanas – Relief Physical Tension and Can Help The Mind to Refocus
The word “Asana” itself translates as “comfortable seat.” Just forget about the contortionist-ish level poses you might have come across on Instagram on elsewhere and focus on the basics. A class called hatha or beginners, taken online or in a studio/gym setting, will already teach you several poses you can start using in your home practise that does not even be that long. Even a ten minute practise a day, done regularly, can have a huge positive impact.
Mindfulness or Meditation Practise, With or Without an App, Can Be Done in Few Minutes
One concept that has really come to the forefront of conversation over the last few years is mindfulness. It can be described as a mental state achieved by focusing – one purpose – one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations in a non-judgmental way.
It is always helpful to check in with ourselves to inquire how we are REALLY feeling and why, even more so if we have a chance to remove ourselves temporarily from a taxing situation. Noticing what triggers our worries and concerns (or anger – just as legit emotion as any!) might take some time initially but will pay itself generously back once we learn to take preventative actions.
The Only Constant In Life is Change
One of the reoccurring themes in yoga is that everything – absolutely everything – is temporary. Things will pass. It might not always feel like and it can be annoying to be reminded of this when the feeling is everything but. But things will pass, always.
Look around and see if there is a yoga class happening somewhere near you – or even in your office – this week, or try out a little bit of meditation. YouTube is a great place to start, or you can download an app such as Just Breathe, Calm or Headspace and use their free versions to find out how mindfulness works for you!
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