The yoga effect

In a fast-paced world, it is important for everyone to find strategies that can help them reduce stress, anxiety and protect their mental health, writes Cara Murphy-Howell, founder of The Meditation and Yoga Effect.

Yoga can help us to slow down, bring our attention inwards, align our minds, bodies and breath which can help regulate our nervous system to shift it to rest and digest. Yoga can be performed in a chair so it is accessible to people who find this more comfortable than mat-based yoga. There are many benefits to yoga so let’s explore a few:

It can help you feel more focused so you can be more present in the moment, so you are not ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. This approach can reduce anxiety.  

Yoga may improve your posture, flexibility, balance, and strength. Reduced flexibility is a natural process of getting older and yoga may help you slow down this process, with gentle stretches and balances. It may improve your mood as it can help you release endorphins which are the feel-good hormones. 

Yoga can help improve your sleep, by using techniques such as yoga nidra which is a guided meditation/deep body scan that may help you fall asleep. 

I find the below yoga postures to benefit my mental health: 

Warrior II – This can be an empowering posture that grounds the feet into the earth and brings stability to the core which may induce a sense of confidence.*

Bridge – When I feel stressed this posture helps stretch the legs and the back which can result in an increased blood circulation which may help manage stress and promote sleep.*

High lunge – If you spend most of your day in front of a computer, doing a high lunge will help release tension, help digestion issues, increase flexibility etc.*

Child’s pose – this restorative posture can help bring your focus inwards and restore energy.*

Integrating a few yoga postures and some relaxing breathwork into your day can help you feel more present in the moment which can help reduce anxiety. Please get in touch if you are interested in learning more about developing a bespoke well-being programme including sound baths, mindfulness or yoga in the workplace. I share lots of tips on LinkedIn (Cara Murphy-Howell).

Telephone: 07841108460 Website: themeditationeffectwithcara.com

Sources of inspiration: Harvard Health Publishing, YogaCourse.com, Yoga Journal and Healthline.com

* If you have any health conditions or injuries, please speak to a medical professional and listen to your body as everyone responds differently to yoga.