Yoga as a Tool for Mental Wellbeing
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and it feels like a good time to reflect on the role yoga can play in supporting mental wellbeing.
You may be aware of the 2020 study reported in national newspapers, which found that regular yoga practice can significantly reduce symptoms of depression in people with mental health disorders, including alcohol dependence, depressive and bipolar disorders, and psychosis such as schizophrenia. The findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, were based on a systematic review and data analysis of 13 studies involving 632 participants.
For those of us who already practice yoga, these results are not surprising. We know first-hand how much better we sleep after a class, how less easily irritated we feel when we’ve practised, and how we tend to make healthier choices for ourselves in the hours that follow.
It may sound dramatic, but I often say that yoga saved my life. I don’t mean it kept me alive in a literal sense, but rather that it allowed me to live more fully—more in my body, more grounded, and less caught in the swirl of thoughts or disconnection. Yoga brought me back to my own experience as a whole, embodied human being.
Many of us who’ve been through difficult times develop what psychologists call "armouring"—the defensive, tense, braced posture the body adopts to protect itself. When the difficulties go on too long and there’s no outlet or support, this armouring can become chronic. We might get so used to carrying the armour that we no longer feel the tension clearly, though we’re very aware of its effects: the aches and pains, the shallow breathing, tight shoulders, clenched jaw, tense focus, pressure behind the eyes, grinding teeth, fidgeting, or even a sense of disconnection or numbness, these are all indicators that we armouring.
The physical practice of yoga—stretching, tuning in, consciously releasing muscles—helps us ease out of that armour. Even if only for a moment, we get to lay it down. We feel the weight lift, and with it the possibility of living in a more spacious body, and having more space in our minds.
Yoga gives us the opportunity to connect with our full experience so we can respond to ourselves with greater kindness and care. When we practise regularly, we often notice more quickly when something isn’t quite right—giving us a chance to pause, adjust course, or make the changes we need.
I am deeply grateful to yoga for giving me the tools to meet myself and my life with more spaciousness. If you’re struggling with your own armour, I encourage you to look for a yoga teacher who can support you in gently beginning to release it. If possible, find a class that includes not just postures, but also breath work and meditation, so you can benefit from the full range of what yoga has to offer.
Take good care of yourself.
With love,
Clair x