Why physical activity matters
Last week, on occasion of World Mental Health Day, I received a newsletter from Better, the company behind Gosling Sports Park and many other leisure centres. I was amazed to read that 64% of their clients said that they take part in physical activity to support their mental health.
I found this astounding for several reasons. Firstly, it shows that mental health is high on people's agenda, and that they don't take it for granted. Many of us have realized that mental health requires looking after, just as much as our physical health.
Secondly, it is in line with current recommendations, which emphasize regular exercise as one of the pillars for maintaining good mental health. The mental health charity Mind for examples, identifies 5 steps towards wellbeing:
Get Active (exercise and movement)
Connect (being social and staying in touch with family and friends)
Take notice (being aware of your feelings while refraining from judgement and comparisons)
Learn (learning something new to keep developing as a person)
Give (taking part in community life and being kind and helpful to others).
Thirdly, the results are a sign that questions around mental health can be talked about and are hopefully not as stigmatised any more (although I think there's still a way to go, especially with regards to the provision of mental health services).
The importance of physical exercise (and that’s the main thing you’ll do in a yoga class) cannot be underestimated. Exercise not only keeps our bodies fit and healthy, exercising also lifts our mood and helps us balance our energy levels. NHS physical activity guidelines for adults recommend at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week plus a minimum of two sessions of strength training for major muscle groups and joints. Sometimes people think of yoga as a means of increasing flexibility (or they think yoga isn’t for them because they are "not flexible enough") but yoga involves all aspects of fitness and can help you get stronger, too.
The five elements of yoga
Yoga provides a form of exercise, benefitting the whole body as well as your general wellbeing and emotional balance. While yoga doesn't offer a solution to underlying problems as such, it does offer an array of additional tools, which can be used alongside other tools and in conjunction with treatments you may receive:
Exercise (asana)
Breathing Techniques (pranayama)
Relaxation Techniques (yoga nidra)
Lifestyle guidelines (yamas and niyamas)
Meditation (pratyahara, dharana, dhyana)
Yoga for the mind
The benefits of meditation are also well-researched (read this to bust common misperceptions about meditation). Poor mental health affects the way we think, often resulting in distorted thoughts. These distorted thoughts can cause or fuel distressing emotions. The good news is that it is possible to change our thoughts through meditation in such a way that they are more compassionate, more constructive, and more helpful. Yoga teachings encourage us to nurture ourselves though self-acceptance, self-compassion and self-discipline. The ‘yoga of the mind’ is the perhaps much-overlooked twin of the ‘yoga of the body’.
The word ‘yoga’ derives its name from the Sanskrit word ‘yoke’ – to join. Practising yoga brings together body, mind, and self. Thus, it offers a holistic framework for self-help and self-development. It is therefore perhaps not surprising that research into the health benefits of yoga has shown that yoga practitioners smoke less, eat more fruit and vegetables, sleep better, report greater interpersonal relationships and have fewer physical and mental health problems.
Ultimately, we have to find our own solutions to whatever challenges we are facing. If you think yoga could help you with that, make sure you make time for a regular yoga practice.
Yogavideos videos for a regular home yoga practice are available at on Youtube.
“Nothing is more beautiful than the smile that has struggled through the tears.” (Demi Lovato)
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