![]() |
| Home | Articles | Get our newsletter | Resources | About us | Quick tips | Educational materials | Our sponsors | Contact us | |
| Find us again! Over 175 articles on: Help support Moodletter
©2006-2010 Moodletter, Inc.
|
Yoga: Prescription
for wellness Learn techniques for relieving anxiety and lifting mood |
HHave
you read these? |
||||||
|
What can relax and revive you, lift your mood and strengthen your body, costs little or nothing and has no side effects? Yoga. Yoga is defined by the union of mind and body. A 6,000 year-old practice that originated in India, it has grown increasingly popular in the West. The mainstream medical community is beginning to recognize yoga as an effective way to maintain good physical and mental health. How can yoga improve my mental health? Psychological benefits of a regular yoga practice include:
"When someone is depressed," says Karen J. Greene, a clinical psychologist who practices yoga, "they have negative thoughts, low self-esteem, poor concentration. They feel as if they're walking through mud. Yoga gets us involved in the here and now, focusing only on awareness of our bodies and the sound of our breathing. "Someone who's depressed feels that things will never be different. But, for that hour, they see that things have been different - they have been different. As they stretch a little more each time, they gain a sense of accomplishment and control. And, practicing yoga in a class, with a caring teacher, can alleviate the social isolation that often accompanies depression." How does it benefit my body too?
How does yoga work?
|
|
Breathing in deeply to fill your lungs and breathing out through your nose calms you. As you concentrate on your breathing, you learn to gain control over your body and mind. How do I get started? Click for yoga postures you can begin to practice now.
Yoga by itself is not adequate treatment for severe depression or anxiety, but is therapeutic if used in combination with medication and/or psychotherapy.
Related articles Sources Page updated August 1, 2009 |
||||||