How Can Yoga Make You Happy?
by Paul Thomas
For thousands of years, yogis have been chanting the benefits of yoga. But it's not so long ago that we started seeing everyone rushing to practice yoga with yoga mats tucked under their arms.
Modern research proves that the benefitsof yoga are not limited merely to the physical domain. It can have more far-reaching emotional effects that can help you be more happy and content in life.
Yes! You've read it right. Yoga can actually help you be truly happy. Sounds like a far-fetched idea? Not until you keep reading and understand for yourself.
What Does it Mean to be "Happy"?
Now, the question that arises in one's mind is what does it mean to be happy? The standards of happiness can be different for everyone around us.
For a yogi, the ultimate goal of yoga is eliminating "Dukha" and hence, achieving "Sukha."
"Dukha" is a word in Sanskrit for unhappiness, suffering, or a state of being out of alignment whereas, "Sukha" is the feeling of happiness and lightness of heart and soul – a state of being in balance. One can either be suffering and unhappy or feel content and in alignment.
So, how can you achieve "Sukha" and keep "Dukha" at bay?
Let's find out!
To Breath is to be Happy!
You might have heard the saying, "to breathe is to live." Yogis also believe, and rightly so, that deep breathing helps you achieve happiness and satisfaction.
How?
According to research, the practice of regulating your breath and focusing on it is a sure way to alleviating stress and keeping your mind steady.
Yoga combines regulated breathing exercises(also known as "pranayama" in Sanskrit)and meditation with "asana" (Sanskrit for held poses of yoga) to help you rejuvenate and de-stress.
"Pranayama" coupled with "asana" is an excellent stress management technique that can keep you relaxed and happy.
Let's Talk Body Chemicals!
We cannot fully endorse that mental conditions like depression and anxiety are mere chemical imbalances in your body. But they indeed are amplified or sometimes triggered by the production of certain hormones or the lack of thereof.
Cortisol and Serotonin:
Yoga has been proven to lessen the production of cortisol, the stress hormone, in your body. Not only that, practicing yoga raises your serotonin levels as well. Serotonin is the hormone that is responsible for keeping your mood stable and promoting feelings of happiness. It also regulates your sleep cycle and helps with eating as well as digestion.
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid:
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, aka GABA, is a natural brain relaxant linked with lowering moods of sadness. A study shows that GABA levels can increase after just one yoga session!!
Moreover, yoga helps people suffering from more serious mental diseases like obsessive-compulsive disorder, hypertension, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia.
Yoga and Body Posture
Ever wondered why we slump our shoulders or bend our heads when we are sad or anxious? Or have you ever thought that slumping and bending only promote feelings of despair and anxiety?
Yogis believe that changing your body posture can change the way you feel. No wonder why numerous yoga poses involve an erect spine, outstretched arms, or standing up straight!
These body postures send messages of confidence and positivity to your brain, helping you feel happy and energized!
A Healthy Body is a Happy Body!
"Health is wealth." We all have heard this maxim many times in our lives. A major part of this wealth is our physical health. And it is not possible to be happy without a physically healthy and fit body.
There are various research studies that point towards the beneficial effects that yoga has on our physical health. It can also help in the treatment of certain diseases like,
Asthma:
If you have asthma, "Pranayama" can help overcome and lessen asthma attacks by filling the lungs with more oxygen, and regulating your breathing rate through deep breathing exercises.
Diabetes:
Patients with diabetes can increase insulin production from the pancreas through a twelve-step yoga exercise called the "Surya Namaskar."
Moreover, from usual backaches or digestive issues to more serious illnesseslike coronary artery disease or even breast cancer - yoga can help manage them all.
With a healthy body, you can surely feel happy and satisfied!
Burn Some Calories and Boost your Self-esteem!
Let's admit that we all feel more confident and happy when we shed some pounds. Practicing yoga regularly is very beneficial if you are looking to lose some weight.
It regulates your hormones and frees the emotions that you have kept captive, which leads to binging on unhealthy snacks and other processed food.
The stress hormone cortisol that we talked about above is also responsible for that protruding belly, which can cause nervousness and self-doubt.
Yoga can help flatten that belly and elevate your confidence!
Be Disciplined, be Happy!
If you lack discipline in life, you are more vulnerable to feelings of depression and unfulfillment. With yoga, you learn the art of discipline, and it can work miracles in your life!
Feel more Aligned and in control:
When you practice yoga regularly, you begin to map out a schedule for yourself. Yoga at a specific time every day can make you feel aligned and more in control of your time.
A Sense of Accomplishment:
You will also have a sense of accomplishment every day when you put away your yoga mat after completing your yoga practice.
And if that sense of control and achievement isn't a happy feeling, we don't know what is!
Final Words!
If you really want to feel happy and kick stress out of your life, grab your yoga gear and start practicing. And unlike the traditional workout, you will start seeing the results after just a couple of yoga sessions! Good Luck!