Wellness Wednesday- Yoga

Photo Credit: ccc.edu

This year, International Yoga Day is next Thursday, June 21, 2018. I have a different post planned for that day so I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about yoga this Wellness Wednesday.

Photo Credit: Yoga With Adriene

I have practiced yoga irregularly for about ten years. This past January I challenged myself to a 30-day yoga challenge called True on the Yoga With Adriene YouTube channel. Not only did I complete the 30-day challenge, but I have continued to indulge in a yoga practice at least once a day. I really love the Yoga With Adriene channel and highly recommend it. She comes out with a new video every Sunday, a new 30-day playlist monthly and if you subscribe to her emails, she sends really inspiring content every Sunday. She has hundreds of videos for every level, time length and specific need. I am pretty picky and only use her videos because I love her approach to yoga so much. Maybe I will do a full post about my favorite videos another time. If you know of any other great yoga channels please let me know!

I like to practice in the morning. I get up, take my medication with a glass of water, have a cup of coffee then do yoga. It is such a great way to start the day. I also like to practice mid-day if I am feeling wound up or anxious or down. Yoga works wonders to balance my mind and body and leaves me feeling calm and recharged. Nighttime yoga is also wonderful. A fantastic way to wind down and shut down your brain in preparation for bed.

I'll leave you with some quick facts I found about yoga and how it can help your mental health.

•  Yoga increases body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, strain and inflammation, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms and centers the nervous system.
• More and more clinicians are embracing yoga (and meditation) as a compliment to talk therapy and medication. My psychiatrist is one of them.
• Yoga is an all natural and always available tool to maintaining wellness and treating mental health issues.
• Studies show that yoga has been shown to increase the level of gamma-aminobutyrtic acid or GABA, a chemical in the brain that helps regulate nerve activity. Increaing the level of GABA in the brain is especially helpful to those who suffer from anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders make GABA activity low.

Do you practice yoga? When? What do you watch or listen to? What's your favorite pose? Mine is pigeon pose.