You don’t have to be an advanced yogi to reap yoga's physical and mental health benefits. Even beginners who practice regularly can feel their best. Starting a consistent yoga routine can help you maintain your quality of life when you have a chronic illness, are recovering from surgery, or simply want to improve your well-being.
One of the best parts about yoga is that there are many styles and classes to fit a range of schedules and abilities. Below, Lotus Counseling and Wellness Center shares some practical advice for fostering your mental health and incorporating yoga into your everyday life.
Prioritizing Your Mental Health
Before we get into yoga and its many benefits, consider that there are many other ways to boost your mental health. For instance, if you can learn to identify your stressors and eliminate them from your life, it will go a long way in improving your well-being and quality of life. Whether it's specific places, people, activities, or your diet, try to identify triggers and handle them one by one.
Seeking help through therapy is another option. If you're dealing with a specific mental health issue or would like to increase your mental well-being in general. Lotus offers both in-person and telehealth options for counseling. Positive social interaction from supportive groups can also help you identify and remove stressors while helping you develop meaningful friendships.
How Can Yoga Benefit Your Life?
Incorporating yoga into your routine can significantly benefit your health, well-being, and life. The practice is known for improving strength, flexibility, and balance while reducing inflammation in the body and boosting cardiovascular health. Yoga can also help you relax and get a better night's sleep. And if you struggle with back pain, it can address that as well.
Many regular yoga practitioners experience more energy, less stress, and a better overall mood. Yoga also promotes self-care and can help you connect with a supportive community.
What Are the Different Types of Yoga?
There are many different types and yoga types and styles, each with a rich history of helping people lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. And Lotus Counseling and Wellness Center offers several classes to address a range of needs.
For example, our Beginners Yoga class introduces beginner yogis to simple poses and modifications. This class focuses on opening your mind to a variety of poses, and anyone from beginners to experts can benefit.
The Friday Flow Yoga class helps yogis to engage in full-body workouts. Open to all levels, this class will concentrate on strengthening and stretching while helping you relax and start the weekend off with the right mindset.
Similarly, we offer a Slow Flow and Unwind Yoga class to help your mind and body relax. This class is divided into two parts. The first half moves yogis through a smooth sequence of poses and breathing patterns while the second half incorporates gentle relaxation poses. Yogis can expect occasional guided visualization. And while it is available to all levels, it’s best to have a little experience under your belt before joining.
Finally, our Yin Yoga class is geared towards people who want to connect more deeply with their bodies. In this class, you'll hold your poses for longer to address various connective tissues. Doing so will help you discover how your mind, body, and spirit are impacted by stress and improve your flexibility while turning inward and practicing mindfulness.
The benefits of regularly practicing yoga are as significant as they are wide-ranging. It's an excellent practice for fostering your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and there are many types and styles to meet your needs no matter your age or abilities. Remember to reach out to Lotus Counseling and Wellness Center to get started on a transformative journey!
We also have a meditation Class:
Running to-do lists, worries, and the chattering mind creates an unsettled beginning to the day and the week. Join us for Meditation class on Saturdays. Meditation cultivates better attention, calm, happiness, and better ability to manage stress. In this class you will be guided in meditation, connect with and ground into your body, and settle into quiet serenity. Please wear comfortable clothes and something to write with. This class is open to all levels, either seated on the floor or in a chair, and no yoga mat is required. Please bring a journal and something to write with.
We look forward to helping you find calm in your day!
~ Dorothy Watson