Yoga is famous for its soothing and calming effects on the body and mind. Classes vary from gentle to challenging ones. One of the most commonly pointed out benefits of yoga is its stress relieving property. It, also, has positive effects on anxiety and depression recorded by many studies.
Meditation combined with exercise is usually practiced in a calm and comfortable ambiance. These relaxing features also help with slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and moderating respiration. The whole philosophy of yoga is to bring you peace and help you overcome your emotional troubles.
During the stressful times in your life, your body is exposed to enormous amounts of stress. That has a negative effect on your sleep patterns, disrupts your heart rhythm and increases the risk of serious conditions like stroke. Divorce is one of those moments in life when stress levels are very high. Therefore, you should allow yourself to find your peace and gain strength to come out of it without any serious impacts on your health.
The benefits of yoga are as follows:
1. Meet new people
The best way to cope with the divorce is to be among people and socializing. This will probably be the last thing you want to do, and that’s why you should approach it carefully. Divorce is saying goodbye to your best friend, someone you confided in and shared every moment of your life. Additionally, if most of your friends are married you may alienate yourself from them.
Yoga is more than exercise. It is also a community created around the values and philosophy of yoga. This will be a fine start to meet new people and listen to different life stories. Even if you’re shy and not socializing with anyone directly, you will still feel a part of something bigger. Allow yourself to feel accepted and embrace the underlying serenity yoga offers.
2. Love yourself
Guilt, self-blame, low self-esteem and doubt in yourself are all the feelings one can face through a divorce. This is all normal since you are hurt and emotionally wounded, but they’re not something you want to feel for a long time. These negative feelings can ultimately affect how you see yourself and hinder your recuperation.
Yoga will teach you how to be in the relationship with yourself in the healthy and positive way. It will show you the mindfulness practice in order to help you focus on the present and leave the past. This practice will help you become aware of yourself and how beautiful you are. It will open paths for positivity and love, as well as help you stop obsessing about the past and looking for wrongness in yourself.
3. Take care of yourself
During troublesome times, people tend to forget to take care of themselves. This is especially important if other people depend on you during the divorce like your children for example. Self-care is more than washing your hair and getting out of bed. It means that you allow yourself some time to relax and have a nice time.
Yoga will teach you various techniques to deal with stress. The meditation will help you focus on the aspects that burden you and find the inner strength to overpass them. While meditating in a certain pose repeat a sort of mantra to yourself which will help you boost your confidence and center your resolve.
4. Clarity
Divorce is a crossroads. This is a terrifying point in life for many but it can also be empowering. The uncertainty of the situation will surely make it hard for you to see clearly what is in front of you. It’s normal not to know where you’re headed with your life all the time. However, after divorce, you have to find your footing quickly in order to beat depression and self-doubt. These negative thoughts and beliefs will only make the things worse for you.
Even if the divorce was handled through the leading mediation services without exchange of any ill words, you will still feel sad. You had certain expectations for a while and that is all negated with the finalization of your marriage. Yoga will help you evaluate your life from a certain emotional perspective. In time, you’ll be able to assess your marriage from a fair distance and analyze your life in a healthier way.
The soothing effect of yoga will help you observe situations and aspects of your life with a greater sense of clarity than you could have under stress. You can try walking meditations to think about your life and contemplate its future path. It will help you to observe more clearly the relationships in your life and dependency on unimportant people and events.
5. Surviving depression
Yoga is also considered beneficial for depression. People report feeling free of nervousness and unease after class.
Science showed that the brain benefits from exercise on many levels. It helps the release of feel-good chemicals like endorphins and production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. A study shows that women who attended yoga classes twice a week had a 50% increase in mood. Additionally, they also experienced 30% decrease in anxiety and 65% increase in overall well being.
Finally, divorce is exhausting and painful but it’s not a reason to stop thinking about yourself. Regular yoga practice will provide you with a good foundation to build your new life on. It will teach you how to respect, love and nurture yourself. Therefore, consider it keys to open the new door in your life, one that will help you have the fulfilling life.
