Can Yoga Transform Your Mental Health? Learn from the Best Psychological Counselor in Kolkata!

Know how yoga will change your mental health and well-being. Find out about the best psychological counselor in Kolkata, effective practices, and benefits.
With the world getting faster by the day, most people find it challenging to cope up with these disorders such as anxiety, depression, and stress. While conventional therapies and medicinal treatment may work for most, others now look at comprehensive practices like yoga to elevate their mental wellness. But does yoga actually change your mental health? Let’s discuss this topic and learn from the best psychological counselor in Kolkata.

Understanding the Relationship Between Yoga and Mental Health

Yoga is an ancient practice that applies physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation to create the holistic approach towards health. Researches have recently depicted that yoga can significantly influence mental well-being and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Here is how:

1. Mindfulness and Presence
   Yoga creates mindfulness-the ability being fully present in the moment. This helps one to disengage with negative thoughts and cultivate peace and calm.
   
2. Stress Reduction
   The physicality of yoga reduces its stress levels, as relaxation is guaranteed, and the body’s main stress hormone, cortisol, decreases. Such a decrease in stress levels can be linked to improvements in mood and mental clarity.
   
3. Better Emotional Regulation
   Yoga practice infers a serious conscious observance of emotions, and so this results in a great awareness in the emotional stakes of an individual. The heightened awareness might lead to better emotional regulation, thus reduced instances of mood swings.
   
4. Quality Sleep Improvement
   There are also sleep disorders that many patients suffering from mental health disorders may experience. The relaxing effect of yoga then could improve the quality of sleep and even increase the number of hours slept at night.
   
5. Enhanced Self-Esteem and Body Awareness
   Yoga promotes a positive body image and self-acceptance in a person. Body awareness through movement improves the levels of confidence so that a person develops a high level of self-esteem overall.

Main Yoga Activities for Mental Health

If you want to use mental health benefits of yoga the following exercise can be practiced.

Simple Yoga Postures for Mental Health

1. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
   
   Benefits: Relaxing pose it usually employs dispelling the urge to feel mentally tired.
   
   How to Do It: Kneel down on the ground. Sit back on the heels and forward stretch out and keep lowering the torso down.
   
2. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
   
   Benefits: It accelerates the speed of blood flow, reduces stress.
   
   How to Do It: Starting on your hands and knees, curl your toes and press your hips toward the ceiling, forming an inverted V.
   
3. Bridge Pose Setu Bandhasana
   
   Benefits: Opens the chest and releases emotional blockages.
   
   How to Do It: Lie on your back, bend your knees, and come up onto your heels while keeping your feet anchored to the ground.
   
4. Corpse Pose Savasana
   
   Benefits: Enters a deep state of relaxation and stress relief.
   
   How to Do It: Lie flat on your back with your arms at your sides and focus on your breath .
   
5. Pranayama (Breath Control)
   
   Benefits: Relaxed the mind while improving concentration.
   
   How to Do It: Sit in comfort; inhale your breath by taking it through the nose, exhale it slowly through the mouth and repeat several times.
   
6. Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing)
   
   Benefits: Balances the mind and reduces anxiety.
   
   How to Do It: Use your thumb to occlude one nostril, inhale through the other, then switch over and exhale through the other one. Continue for several minutes.

Healthy Lifestyle Habits to Amplify Yoga’s Benefit

Yoga can bring much greater benefits to one’s lifestyle if healthy lifestyle habits are added along with yoga:  

• Hydrate Yourself: Keep sipping water to hold good well-being.
• Eat a Wholesome Diet: Ensure proper intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain food that will feed your body and mind.
• Start routine: The consistency involved in your yoga practice could be much deeper.

Inputs by the Best Counsellor for Psychology in Kolkata

While learning how yoga works upon mental health is a must, support also forms one of the most critical elements. Consulting the best counsellor for psychology in Kolkata can provide inputs and guidance that may not even have anything to do with yoga in direct relation. From the professionals in the field:

“Yoga can be a very useful adjunct in managing the mental health. It provides added to the traditional treatments by giving the individual with a chance to relate to their body and emotions, especially resilience and wellbeing.“

Read here for more:- Can Practicing Gratitude Improve Your Mental Health and Fight Depression?

Tips Getting into Your Yoga Career

When you are just a beginner in yoga or trying to hone up your performance, start with these tips:

1. Start Slowly
   Begin with short periods during your sessions, gradually increasing the time duration as you get comfortable.
   
2. Find a Community
   You could support and motivate yourself in a local class or online group.
   
3. Pay attention to your Body
   You should respect your body’s limitations. It’s okay if you have to modify poses for you to focus on what works best for you.
   
4. Yoga with Other Therapies
   Adding yoga to counseling or therapy might be a complete package for mental health support.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How does yoga help with anxiety?
   Yoga will also exercise your mind to relax and just be in the moment, thereby lowering the levels of anxiety to an extremely lower level as your mind and body are eased and soothed.
   
2. Do I have to be bendy or flexible to do yoga?
   No, no, no, but everyone else can do it. Many of the poses could easily be modified to accommodate different body types.
   
3. How often should I practice yoga to see mental health benefits?
   Consistency is key: at least 2-3 sessions per week is a good starting point for any benefits to begin unfolding.
   
4. Can yoga completely replace the orthodox treatment of mental health conditions?
   Yoga is holistic to well-being of the mind, although it does well with the mental health, it should complement and not substitute the conventional treatments.
   
5. What do I do when feel overwhelmed during a yoga practice session?
   It is completely normal and fine to take a break or move on to those that make you uncomfortable. Concentrate more on your breathing and calm down.

Conclusion

Yoga gives you a transformational journey towards the betterment of your mental health by providing you with tools that fight stress, anxiety, and depression. Thus, at the time of starting your yoga journey, consider a visit from a mental health counselor. Who can be the best counselor in Kolkata? End.

Inculcating yoga in your lifestyle will make you create a strong will; increase your self-awareness and lead you to mental clarity. You will open your way towards healthier, balanced life.

If your interest in this art lies deeper, it would do you good to join professionals who will help get on this road towards better mental health.