Breathe In, Bliss Out: The Mental Health Perks of Yoga
September is National Yoga Month, making it the perfect time to step onto a yoga mat and give it a try. While yoga is well known for physical health benefits such as improving flexibility and balance, its effect on your mental health is just as impressive! The National Institutes of Health (NIH) classifies yoga as a mind-body practice, combining physical poses, controlled breathing, and mindfulness. But what does that mean for your mental well-being?
Here are 10 ways yoga supports better mental health:
1. Reduces Stress
By activating the parasympathetic nervous system (aka your brain’s “calm down” mode), yoga helps lower stress hormones like cortisol.
2. Eases Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression
Various studies show that yoga’s focus on breathwork and mindfulness can help regulate mood and reduce symptoms linked to anxiety and depression.
3. Improves Sleep Quality
Yoga encourages relaxation and lowers tension, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep – no sheep counting needed.
4. Boosts Emotional Resilience
Practicing yoga regularly increases self-awareness and emotional control, helping you respond to everyday challenges.
5. Sharpens Focus and Concentration
Mindful movement and breathing train your brain to stay present, which helps improve cognitive function and attention span.
6. Promotes Self-Compassion
Yoga encourages non-judgment and inner kindness – especially helpful when you’re stuck in a loop of self-doubt.
7. Interrupts Rumination
The focused breathing and slow movement in yoga interrupt repetitive negative thoughts. It shifts attention from overthinking to present-moment experience, creating a mental reset.
8. Helps Create a Mind-Body Connection
By linking movement with breath, yoga helps you tune into how emotions show up physically – making it easier to manage them.
9. Reduces Decision Fatigue
The structured flow of yoga takes you out of “constant decision-making mode.” This break from choices and mental clutter helps refresh executive functioning – helping you to make better decisions later.
10. Supports Trauma Recovery
Trauma-sensitive yoga, used in therapeutic settings and PTSD treatment programs, helps survivors reconnect with their bodies in safe, empowering ways. It’s non-verbal healing that fosters self-trust.
The CDC even highlights yoga as a helpful tool for people living with chronic illness or emotional stress, and it’s suitable for all fitness levels. So, whether you’re feeling frazzled, foggy, or just need a mental tune-up, yoga offers more than just good vibes – it offers science-backed brain boosts.
Namaste!
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Resources:
7 ways yoga can boost your mental health and resilience. Pennsylvania. (2025, February 27). https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/7-ways-yoga-can-boost-your-mental-health-and-resilience?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, October 16). Chronic conditions & disabilities activity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/chronic-health-conditions-and-disabilities.html
Mayo Clinic Health System. (2021, June 17). Yoga therapy: Relieve pain, manage stress. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/yoga-therapy-relieve-pain-manage-stress
Rai J; Pathak A; Singh R; Bhatt GC; Rai NK; (2025, May 1). Effectiveness of yoga on depression and anxiety in people with chronic primary pain: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. International journal of yoga therapy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40359251/
RM;, S. S. K. (2019, May 15). Depression and anxiety disorders: Benefits of exercise, yoga, and meditation. American family physician. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31083878/
Shohani M; Badfar G; Nasirkandy MP; Kaikhavani S; Rahmati S;Modmeli Y; Soleymani A; Azami M; (2018, February 21). The effect of yoga on stress, anxiety, and depression in women. International journal of preventive medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29541436/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2020, January). Yoga for health: What the Science says. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/yoga-for-health-science
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2023). Yoga: Effectiveness and safety. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga-effectiveness-and-safety
Yoga for better mental health. Harvard Health. (2024, April 29). https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/yoga-for-better-mental-health
Zaccari B; Sherman ADF; Febres-Cordero S; Higgins M; Kelly U; (2022, July 9). Findings from a pilot study of trauma center trauma-sensitive yoga versus cognitive processing therapy for PTSD related to military sexual trauma among women veterans. Complementary therapies in medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35820575/
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Listen to your care providers as they know you and your conditions best. Thank you for reading!
The Team at BSDI