Yoga Benefits for the Mind and Body
At Lifeline Connections, we believe in using all types of healing mechanisms to guide you through your recovery journey. You may have heard that yoga has many benefits, but what could it mean for you? This post will discuss why you should including yoga in your health plan to recovery.
Physical Benefits
It boosts your immune system
One major aspect of yoga is the meditation- the realization and awareness of your body and its functionality. This meditation coupled with the careful movement of your body can improve your blood flow which leads to a more oxygenated and functional system. This will give your body a better fighting chance when you catch a cold or the flu since it will have less work to do in other areas of your body.
It lowers your blood sugar levels
High blood sugar levels are risk factors for things like heart disease and adult diabetes. When you are consistently doing yoga, the healthy increase of activity will provide the right amount of assistance for your organs, giving them the boost they need to perform their duties. It also lowers cortisol and adrenaline levels- two hormones related to stress which usually causes you to want to eat more often (and often less healthy).
Better flexibility and strength
This is probably what you’ve heard the most about the benefits of yoga. Naturally, the more you use your muscles and stretch them, the better they get and the easier it is to continue to use them. However, another reason why this is so important is because it leads to even more things. Having stronger muscles makes certain tasks like cleaning and walking up stairs easier. Increased flexibility causes less aches and pains in your bones and joints, giving you more endurance for longer walks and taxing activities. These little improvements in your body will lead to more improvements. Can you imagine how much more housework you can get done in less time if you are feeling less tired? Think about any other physical goals you may have like riding your bike or doing a walkathon- yoga is a great start to help you do those most effectively.
Mental Benefits
Lowers risk of drug use and relapse
Even though drug abuse is a physical concept, often the source of the problem is in your coping mechanism and mental state. Yoga is a great way to replace drug abuse as a coping mechanism. Since it has a very meditative quality, it takes your mind off of your stress and leaves you better equipped to problem solve or let go of troubles in your life. It also helps you stay in tune with your body and eases pain that is often treated with drugs.
Makes you feel happier
Since yoga is a physical activity, it releases endorphins and serotonin, both considered “happy” and naturally pain-relieving hormones. If you are consistently doing yoga, such as in the morning or afternoon, you are training your body to regulate and create it’s own natural cycle of hormones. This will help you cope during stressful situations at home or at work, and provide more opportunities to problem solve.
Improves your focus
Focus is becoming more of a problem in many adults nowadays. There are often medications and other prescribes remedies for a lack of focus, but often focus is something that just takes a little practice. Yoga’s natural inclination toward an awareness of the body and breath will give you so many opportunities to take your mind off of stressful and everyday problems, and focus mainly on the task at hand. This will leave your mind refreshed and allow your brain to naturally edit the information to what you need to think about rather than constantly running through unnecessary information.
At Lifeline Connections, yoga is part of our residential treatment programs because we want to give everyone the necessary tools to succeed when the “residential” part of the treatment is over. Yoga is exactly the type of coping mechanism that we encourage because it is effective and can be used anywhere you go. If you feel like you are ready to take the next step in recovery please don’t hesitate to call 360-397-8246 ext. 7580 or email admission_office@lifelineconnections.org.
[Image by unsplash.com via pexels.com]
