Over the last ten years, yoga has become popular in the Western countries. It has been growing more and more followers since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The quarantine due to the virus and the panic is the cause behind this craze. Without mentioning the crazy capitalistic everyday life. So, what’s behind yoga that helps people catalyze their emotions?
What Is Yoga?
Approximately 300 million people regularly practice yoga throughout the world. According to a 2019 statistics list, yoga was one of the top 10 fitness trends worldwide.
If you check the definition in the Collins dictionary of these four letters, you will read this:
- Yoga is a type of exercise in which you move your body into various positions in order to become more fit or flexible, to improve your breathing, and to relax your mind.
- Yoga is a philosophy which first developed in India, in which physical exercises and meditation are believed to help people to become calmer and united in spirit with God.
In fact, the early evidence of yoga dates long ago. Over 5,000 years ago to be more precise. It was developed by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Northern India. At first and for thousands years until now, yoga was in India a religion or a philosophy. It is still considered as such in modern India. Since its popularization in the early-1960s, the religious aspect of Yoga has been lost. But the essence of the discipline remains. Calm the mind, the spirit, catalyze emotions and find harmony through meditation and physical positions. Play with Bet22, challenge yourself and get a chance to win.
Yoga Against Anxiety
Who never heard about anxiety? Or who never experienced anxiety? This has become one of the most spreaded mental issues encountered. It is the body’s reaction to stress. It looks like a feeling of distress, unease, or dread.
According to Medical News Today, doctors believe that exercise, including yoga, can help people to manage the symptoms of anxiety.
As we already said, yoga is about physical positions that includes strength, stretching, breathing and meditation. It is actually the combination of all these elements that make a session successful. Yoga is about connecting your mind to the body. The most common mistake people do is to divide these two elements. As if there were no connection between them. On the contrary, one influences the other directly. They are narrowly intertwined.
According to a new study by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, “yoga was significantly more effective for generalized anxiety disorder than standard education on stress management.” More than half of those who practiced yoga said that they noticed improved symptoms compared to 33% in the stress-education group.
Three Poses That Help
There are actually many poses that help with anxiety. Here, we introduce you to three of them. But one thing should always be reminded: the most important part of yoga is breathing. Long inspirations and expirations will help oxygen to flow in the body and decrease blood pressure.
- Child’s Pose or Balasana
This pose helps you to rest. It doesn’t imply extreme stretching or strength. Balasan is among the relaxation modes of yoga. It brings comfort and helps to release tensions in the upper body. That’s where people feel the consequences of their stress.
- Tree Pose or Vrikasana
Vrikasana is not an easy pose. It implies standing balances. The position encourages concentration, focus and awareness. While standing on one leg and the other on the thigh, the mind is taken away from anxiety. Plus, Tree Pose places one’s attention on their physical self.
- Legs Up The Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
This pose is a simple one, but oh so effective!
Viparita Karani is great for relieving lower back pain and easing anxiety symptoms.
It can be performed absolutely anywhere a wall is present. But in order to efficiently combat anxiety symptoms, it is better to find a place of comfort, silence and serenity. In addition, you can place a pillow or a blanket under your lower back to relieve any pain or pressure.