Calm, Stable, Joyful Mind
The conditions associated with COVID quarantine have caused significant mental health strain. People are reporting higher levels of anxiety, stress and overall worry. Luckily Yoga offers a myriad of tools and practices to calm and focus the mind, process negative emotions and helps us to live in the moment and imagine a more joyful future. In fact, deep breathing and mind-body practices have been shown to improve sympatho-vagal balance and significantly reduce symptoms in stress-related anxiety (Brown & Gerbard, 2012).
*Brown, R.P., & Gerbarg, P.L. (2012) The healing power of the breath. Simple techniques to reduce stress and anxiety, enhance concentration, and balance your emotions. Bonston: Shambhala Publications Inc.
- Report higher levels of stress since COVID – 67%
- Report greater anxiety since the outbreak – 57%
- Report mental health decline – 42%
Yoga offers tools such a slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing to activate the vagus nerve and shift into the parasympathetic nervous system; which slows heart rate, lowers blood pressure, reduces muscular tension and induces a relaxation response. Coupled with mindfulness and meditation practices, these tools can be utilized throughout your day to reduce stress and increase joy.
Choose Joy
Join Yoga Therapist, Katie Allen in an all-levels Yoga practice to check in with the qualities of the mind and any emotions you might be experiencing.
This practice provides in depth explanations of foundational Yoga postures, focusing on alignment, the importance of breath and calming the mind. This class will help you to connect to your body, reduce stress and improve focus on and off the mat.