From the Vinyasa Flow to Power Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga to Hatha Yoga, there are many styles of yoga practices to channel the energies of the body and harmonize your senses. Yoga is a means to happy and healthy living. Yoga poses from simple asana poses, like Pranayama (the Lotus Pose), to complicated ones, like Sarvangasana and Trikonasana, there are many difference styles of yoga that can all give you internal and external health benefits.
Yoga is just about as effective for mental health problems as it is for physical disorders and diseases. Every disease or condition under the sun has a cure with the help of regular yoga practices, including hypertension, back pain, depression, anxiety, and even cancer. Yoga can increase hemoglobin levels that improve blood flow and the oxygenation of the body.
Through practice, you can decrease your resting heart rate and raise stamina levels. Yoga nurtures your body, heals your mind, and nourishes your soul. Given the mind-body connection, it is not surprising that yoga offers multiple benefits for its practitioners.
Bharadvajasana
Ideal for stretching the hips, shoulders, and spine, Bharadvajasana is one of the twisting poses that comes with mental benefits while delivering physical impact to the body.
Mental Benefits:
- Focuses on balancing the mind.
- Spinal mobility brings mental comfort.
- Twisting helps release tension in the back, shoulders, and chest, dispelling anxiety.
- Balanced emotions lead to richer imagination and more scope for creative thinking.
Other Advantages
- Increases blood flow to the digestive organs.
- Massages the abdominal organs.
- Lowers stress and enhances digestion
- Strengthens the lower back, making it excellent for women in their second trimester of pregnancy
- Serves to alleviate pain and stiffness felt in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Vajrasana
Varjrasana is one of the more calming poses and leads to feelings of relaxation. This asana is also called the Rock Pose because it stabilizes the body and cultivates an inner sense of patience. The pose requires sitting on the heels of the feet, which permits the body to keep its spine straight. Other names for Vajrasana include Diamond Pose, Thunderbolt Pose, Pelvic Pose, Kneeling Pose, and the Adamantine Pose.
Mental Benefits:
- Calms the mind.
- Relaxes the senses.
- Opens the mind for innovative thinking.
Other Advantages:
- Helps in digestion and prevents hips from becoming heavy.
- Relieves constipation and fights gastric troubles.
- Improves blood circulation in the body.
- Helps with weight loss.
- Cures urinary incontinence.
- Combats acid reflux.
- Tones and shapes the muscles of the body, such as the hips, thighs, and calf muscles.
Dhanurasana
Derived from the Sanskrit word Dhanur which means “bow” and asana which means “seat”, the Bow Pose captures the benefits of Cobra and Locust poses. It has benefits of two yoga asanas combined into one.
Mental Benefits:
- Helps to energize the body.
- Enables the mind to become activated
- Lowers stress.
- Shakes off lethargy, breathing in creativity and new ideas.
Other Advantages:
- Improves the functioning of internal organs such as the liver, small and large intestine and pancreas.
- Strengthens the ankles, chest, thighs, groin, spinal column, and abdominal organs.
- Relieves asthmatic symptoms.
- Stimulates the reproductive organs.
- Overcomes lethargy, working directly on the solar plexus in the naval region, energizing the chakras.
- Tones the body and cleanses the blood.
Sarvangasana
Sarva means “entire,” Ang means “body,” and asana means “posture.” This is known as the Queen or Mother of all asanas because it energizes every part of the human body and stimulates it. Sarvangasana is a complicated pose to perform, but its benefits are just as diverse and intricate.
Mental Benefits:
- Stretches the nervous system and activates the chakras of the body opening the imagination by energizing the mind.
- Calms the brain and the nervous system, relieving stress and tension.
- Opens the mind to positive influences.
Other Advantages:
- Stimulates the thyroid gland as well as the pituitary and adrenal glands.
- Does away with constipation, headache, indigestion, and stomach pain.
- Stabilizes the blood pressure and improves the heart rate.
- Ear, nose and throat disorders can be combated through this asana.
- Treats insomnia and provides vigor and strength to the body.
Tadasana
Tada means “mountain” or “palm tree.” Consequently, this is known as the Mountain or Palm Tree Pose. Tadasana is one of the subtle poses that stimulates and adds fire the creative imagination.
Mental Benefits:
- This asana expels dullness and lethargy.
- Staves off depression.
- Harmonizes the body and the mind.
- Increases energy and enthusiasm.
Other Advantages:
- Improves posture.
- Strengthens thighs, ankles and knees.
- Steadies the respiratory system and improves awareness.
- Removes sciatica and develops strength and flexibility in the spine
- Staves off menstruation problems.
- Combats issues from flat feet.
Surya Namaskar
This is the beginning of any yoga routine. It is a salute to the Sun God. This asana is made for connecting to God and the Divine early in the morning. This is a series of asanas a part of the Hatha Yoga.
Mental Benefits:
- Freedom from stress.
- Greater clarity and imagination.
- Alertness and mental strength.
Other Advantages:
- Aligns the body.
- Stimulates the different organs and internally massages them.
- Build the core and shoulder strength.
Balaasana
This is the Child’s pose. Simple and elegant, it calms and soothes the mind. This pose also loosens constricted limbs.
Mental Benefits:
- Encourages child-like creativity and imagination.
- Opens the mind to new thoughts and ideas.
Other Advantages:
- Helps develop strong thighs, ankles, and hips.
- Helps to overcome stress and enhances blood circulation.
- Reduces back pain.
Bridge Pose
This is one of the most challenging, yet uplifting poses.
Mental Benefits:
- Alleviates stress and depression.
- Stabilizes emotions and fires up creativity.
Other Advantages:
- Stimulates the inner organs, such as the lungs and thyroid
- Opens up the chest and strengthens the legs
Shavaasana
This is also known as the Corpse Pose. Shavaasana ends all yoga routines. It improves meditation and enhances positive visual imagery.
Mental Benefits:
- Boosts mental health.
- Eases the body and relaxes the limbs.
- Allows free flow of ideas and prevents a creative block.
Other Advantages:
- Curbs indigestion, constipation, diabetes, and asthma.
- Improves concentration and mental health while relaxing the body.
- Stimulates the blood flow
Warrior Pose
Warrior Pose has three variations and each of them have mental and physical benefits.
Warrior I
Mental Benefits:
- Boosts body awareness, strengthens body-mind awareness.
- Improves perceptual skills.
- Great for opening the heart and developing courage.
Other Advantages:
- Strengthens the limbs and glutes, building core power.
- Opens the chest and facilitates internal rotation of the leg.
Warrior II & III
Mental Benefits:
- Dissolves excess tension and provides stability and integrity.
- Emotional balance and stability are promoted.
Other Advantages:
- Exercises every muscle in the body.
- Massages the internal organs of the body.
Yoga is a path to the light, but it is also a means of harnessing the creative power of imagination. The mind undergoes changes that impact the senses and harmonize and balance the soul, which in turn allows you to manifest creative capabilities.
These yoga asanas can help you make a movement towards the divine fire of all imagination possible. It also makes a way to open the door to good mental and physical health. Use yoga to let go of stress and heal the mind from within. Your body and creative mind will thank you for it.
Featured photo credit: Dr. Elaine via drelaine.com
