This month, among other health awareness days, we honored World Mental Health Awareness Day. The purpose is to raise awareness of mental health needs and to hopefully garner support, financial and societal, for mental health treatments.
Throughout my years as a yoga practitioner and instructor, I have heard many say yoga is good for mental health. While there are many ways in which yoga can support with mental health needs, there is also room for different kinds of supportive therapies and treatments for mental health needs.
Every aspect of yoga, from asana to pranayama, can support with mental health. And it’s not always going to be a one size fits all. Some folks may benefit the most from asana, others from pranayama. This doesn’t mean one should practice a single part of yoga, but possibly emphasize that part a bit more in their regular practice. Most will likely benefit from a combination, the full incorporation of all yogic practices. Similarly, some folks may need talk therapy or other forms of western medicine. Supporting mental health doesn’t have to be a choice between one treatment or another, it can and should be an overlapping of different types of supportive therapies and may evolve just as humans evolve.
Yoga can support with a great deal of things:
- Calming the mind and body
- Increase mental clarity
- Increase physical awareness
- Developing empathy
- Practicing acceptance
In my experience, yoga has been a great mental health suppot and sometimes I do need therapies or treatments that are more westernized. That’s okay. We shouldn’t judge ourselves or others for doing what we need to in order to get better.
As 2024 comes closer to an end, I hope we can all move away from judgements of others and support one another in embracing what is needed to get through the day (or month or year).
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