‘Feeling’ can be painful. And it can be tough. Not everyone wants to talk about it, but everyone wants to feel better. Our mind and body has a certain capacity for pain and discomfort. When this capacity is exceeded a disconnect or an over-connection happens between the mind and body leaving you dysregulated, feeling anxious, depressed or both. Yoga helps build capacity. It helps build tolerance for discomfort and pain, two things that are inevitable in life. Tolerance and capacity are needed to feel less reactive, more calm and balanced.
Originally developed over 5000 years ago in Northern India, yoga is a mind/body practice that uses postures, breath and awareness to deepen the connection with self and promote balance and calm. The purpose of yoga is to train the body and mind to self-observe and become more aware of one’s own internal nature. Yoga is used to cultivate awareness, self-regulation, and discernment of thoughts and feelings. Modern day research proves it to be an effective tool in supporting mental health and overall wellness.
At Simply Counselling, our Yoga for Mental Health service is backed with over two decades of clinical experience in the mental health field. We have worked closely with stress and trauma to learn about its impact on one’s relationship with their mind and body. We understand the neuroscience behind the impact and how yoga can support the process of healing and recovery.
With this knowledge, Yoga is used to promote the development of a relationship with your body through awareness, connection, and understanding. It is a mindful practice that supports the development of self-compassion and tolerance.
Through Yoga for Mental Health, you learn to:
- Become curious about your internal responses such as your thoughts, sensations, and reactions
- Become curious of how your mind and body operate with one another
- Understand your internal world as an observer
- Discern how certain feelings can impact certain thoughts and vice-versa
- Discover the impact of your external world on your internal world
- Build tolerance and capacity to tune-in and ‘be-with’ your experiences in a way that is tolerable to you
- Self-regulate
- Self-observe and monitor your experiences
- Hold space for discomfort
- Become less reactive