Pathway to serenity

International Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21 each year since its inception in 2015. Yoga is a physical exercise that involves different body poses, breathing techniques, and meditation.

The Covid pandemic has seen a rise in the cases of depression, anxiety, and stress. In such times, we all need activities to be engaged in from the confines of the home. Yoga not only ticks those boxes but also of being easy, time-effective, and excellent for the entire body and mind. Wellness experts across various fields strongly advocate yoga for mental and physical wellbeing.

Benefits

Regulating Neurochemicals: Strong research backs up yoga's therapeutic benefits in mental health. Leading research has shown that yoga is good for reducing depression, anxiety, and stress. It lowers cortisol and boosts serotonin, dopamine and endorphins.

Physical movement: It helps in maintaining the cardiovascular, pulmonary, musculoskeletal systems of the body

Mindfulness: Yoga also brings in mindfulness. During the yoga practice, your mind singles out and focuses on the physical sensations and perfection of the postures. This immersive concentration helps relax you, distract you and take away from the frenzy of worrisome thoughts. It causes you to be in the moment rather than all over the place.

Yoga can help with:

Depression, anxiety, fatigue, stress, PTSD, chronic pain, brain health, sleep issues and overall quality of life.

It is also helpful in cardiovascular conditions, activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic system, blood pressure, blood glucose regulation, menstrual issues and overall physical fitness.

Five easy asanas for mental health:

Even though the entire range of yoga is helpful for one's well being but some of the easiest ones to try for mental health are listed below:

Yogic breathing (pranayama): One of the best basic practices of Yoga. It begins with three-part deep breathing: inhale, pause and exhale. Gradually one can advance into kapalbhati and alternate nostril breath. It soothes the autonomic nervous systems and brings an instant sense of calm.

Baalasana (Child's resting pose or baby pose): Just like a baby who is calm, this pose helps you feel grounded. It helps calm the mind, reduce fatigue, and even

fight insomnia.

Uttanasana (Forward bent pose): This basic yoga pose helps lift mood, calm the mind, and reduce anxiety and depression through the increased flow of blood to the brain.

Vriksasana (Tree pose): Performing this asana can help centre you, and also improves balance and focus, thereby increasing attention, concentration and beating anxiety by introducing mindfulness.

Shavasana (Corpse pose): A pose that requires you to lie down and just be. It helps in resting the mind, body, brain, and soul.

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