How Yoga Has Benefited Mental Health: For Men
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According to research, around 50,000,000 U.S citizens practice yoga. It is an ancient practice that is believed to have originated from India. It involves spiritual, mental, and physical practices that help promote physical and mental well-being. For instance, yoga focuses on promoting inner peace and helping people become physically fit. Some of the Americans who practice yoga are men. They have benefited from this practice in the following ways.
Yoga Has Help Men Recover From Depression
According to statistics, around 6,000,000 American men suffer from depression every year. Most of them suffer from this disorder due to financial problems, difficult relationships, and the loss of loved ones. Some of them practice yoga in an attempt to manage their depression symptoms.
Over the past few years, yoga has helped some of them recover from depression. How? It has helped bring them into the present moment, allowing them to get rid of the negative thoughts in their minds. It has also helped strengthen their mind-body connection, reducing depressive symptoms.
Yoga Has Helped Reduce Anxiety Symptoms in Many Men
Anxiety can be described as the fear of the unknown. It is usually characterized by rapid breathing, insomnia, increased heart rate, and restlessness. You can experience this kind of fear when starting a new job or before you take an exam. It is usually an unpleasant feeling that can interfere with your day-to-day life. It can also make you stop doing things that you once enjoyed doing.
Men who experience anxiety often need to seek treatment. Otherwise, the anxiety levels will keep going high. Yoga is one of the practices that such people should embrace. This practice has helped reduce generalized anxiety disorder symptoms and OCD symptoms in many men. Some of the poses these men have practiced to reduce anxiety symptoms include Satyananda, Power Yoga, and Hatha Yoga. You should look into the best yoga app for men to practice and find more of these yoga poses.
Yoga Has Helped Many Men Manage Stress
High levels of stress can negatively affect your health. For instance, stress can increase your risk of suffering from high blood pressure. It can also make you experience sleep problems. Thanks to yoga since it can help reduce stress levels.
Men who practice yoga have claimed that different types of yoga, especially yoga Nidra meditation, have helped reduce their stress levels. How? When you practice yoga, your heart rate variability increases. It can help your mind and body relax even when you are stressed. Yoga will also help you release physical blockages such as muscle knots, helping you release tension, and negative emotions. All this can help enhance your overall well-being and reduce your stress levels.
Yoga also helps reduce the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. It also helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system. When this system is activated, the body enters into a relaxation state which, in turn, helps reduce stress levels.
Yoga Has Helped Some Men Become Happier
A bad mood can wear down your immune system, affect your heart health negatively and increase your risk of suffering from dementia. On the other hand, a good mood can improve your heart health and boost your immune system. Therefore, you need to do all that you can to improve your mood. Practicing yoga can help you have a good mood. A couple of men who practice yoga have reported an improvement in their moods after practicing yoga.
How does this happen? According to studies, yoga is associated with increased levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid. This acid is usually made in the brain, and it helps improve one’s mood. Yoga also helps the vagus nerve function better. A well-functioning vagus nerve promotes emotion regulation, making people feel happy and satisfied. To further boost your mood, you should practice yoga together with breathing exercises. These exercises will help you focus on your breathing which, in turn, will help you anchor yourself at the moment, helping you become happy.
Yoga is a practice that can help improve your mental health and overall well-being. For instance, it can help lower your stress and anxiety levels. It can also help improve your mood. To experience all these benefits, you need to practice yoga at least three times a week.
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