Yoga Benefits For Mental Health At Charis

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Seeking nirvana. Cropped image of beautiful teenage girl and her mother in sports clothing training yoga on the mat in sports club
What often happens when we are struggling with behavioral health issues is that our interconnected systems of the physical body, emotional body and mental body feel far away from one another, disconnected, and, at the extreme at war with one another.
Yoga is part of every day at Charis Behavioral Health. This activity enables our clients to recalibrate their nervous systems and calm their minds. Our practice encompasses controlled breath work, heightened bodily awareness, gentle sequences, and guided meditations. Scientific studies affirm that yoga can effectively lower heart rates, fostering a sense of safety and empowerment within the psyche. Additionally, this ancient practice cultivates physical resilience, embodying inner strength and self-assurance. Through yoga, our clients are gently guided to accept themselves in each and every moment as they navigate their treatment journey, fostering patience, compassion, and mindfulness.
Lower Heart Rate
Yoga has benefits through a variety of mechanisms. One well-accepted mechanism is that yoga offers a greater regulation of the autonomic nervous system. Yoga can be framed as integrative top-down and bottom-up processes that create bidirectional pathways between brain and body. Top-down processes initiated consciously at the level of the cerebral cortex, such as attention regulation and intention setting, can decrease stress and regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. This can positively affect heart rate variability, immune function and inflammation. The result is translated to a calm, relaxed feeling after regular practice.
Foster Safety
The asana practice is more than just movement. It is an intentional movement. The combination of breath and movement are of service to the overall functioning of the body. The predictable way the body moves, along with the metered breath, creates a reliable & consistent source of oxygen and energy. This communicates a message of safety and tranquility to the brain. It allows the mind to rest.
Increase Self-Empowerment
As the body becomes stronger through practice, the student feels the strength of heart, conviction and momentum. It is this momentum that translates into the therapy room. Seeing success in practicing yoga poses and learning new ways that the body can work together with the mind and breath allows students to feel empowered to try new skills. These may be coping skills, communication skills or self-care skills -- all facets of a healthy body and mind.
Build Resilience
Yoga is called a practice because, in the yoga room, we are always learning. Learning about ourselves, our community and our bodies. Learning to receive and learning to selflessly give. The physical resilience of trying new poses and believing that one will improve overflows into an increase in emotional regulation in one’s daily experience. The sequence of pausing, being present in the moment and breathing steadily before moving into the next pose embodies the way a client may react to an emotional trigger in a healthy, grounded way.
