Yoga can have huge benefits for our physical and mental health. In this article I speak about the ways in which yoga might help you to cope with stress in the workplace and beyond, as well as why I am so passionate about it as a psychologist.
When people think of yoga it might conjure up images of glamorous young women twisting into challenging shapes in exotic locations – thank you social media. It’s also not uncommon to hear people say, “I’m not flexible enough to do yoga”, which seems to reflect and reinforce an unfortunate misconception about what yoga actually is and who can practice it.
Naive for years myself about yoga (I had assumed it was simply an exercise regime similar to Pilates!), it was a day of training during my Clinical Psychology doctorate that opened my eyes to the full scope and potential power of yoga to transform our lives for the better. I learned that anyone can practice yoga and feel the benefits.
How and why can yoga help with stress?
Maybe you have some familiarity with yoga already, either from hearing about it, or from having attended classes. However, you may be less familiar with the history, science and full scope of the practice of yoga and its relevance to our wellbeing…
Is yoga not just striking a pose?
Yoga is an ancient systematic practice rooted in Indian philosophy. It is not only the physical practice that we see images of everywhere – that is only one of eight branches of the practice of yoga. Together, the eight branches cover physical, psychological or psycho-spiritual, and ethical practices. They are called:
- Yamas: interpersonal ethics (how we treat others)
- Niyamas: intrapersonal guidance (how we treat ourselves)
- Asana: physical postures and movements
- Pranayama: breathwork
- Pratyahara: controlled senses (aligns with mindfulness approaches)
- Dharana: concentration
- Dhyana: meditation
- Samadhi: enlightenment (links to connectedness and values)
They are listed in this order intentionally, as the first four practices are concerned with how we live in the external world and act as preparation of your mind and body for practicing the following four, that are more concerned with our internal world. While they all connect and build upon each other, we can decide for ourselves which parts work for us in terms of our values and how we want to live our lives.
When I began to learn more about the eight branches, I discovered that there is much crossover and alignment with some Western models of psychological therapy, particularly compassion-focused therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. This furthered my interest in how the practices and benefits of yoga could work alongside clinical psychology.
What are the benefits of yoga?
The benefits of yoga have been recognised for thousands of years, but we are now able to examine more closely and objectively the mechanisms of this thanks to modern scientific methods and technology. Yoga practices essentially improve the connection between mind and body, through both a ‘top-down’ neurocognitive pathway and a ‘bottom-up’ neurophysiological pathway. By engaging the mind and body simultaneously and bi-directionally we can improve both our ability to self-regulate and our resilience (returning to homeostasis after stress).
From ‘fight or flight’ to ‘rest and digest’
The role of the autonomic nervous system is key here, with its sympathetic branch (commonly known as ‘fight or flight’) and parasympathetic branch (often referred to as ‘rest and digest’). When the body is in a state of stress, the sympathetic branch is activated. Again, this is not always an unhelpful thing because we need the body to be physically prepared for certain situations through increasing our heart and breathing rate, etc.
However, sometimes we find ourselves in this ‘fight or flight’ mode when it’s not helpful. Furthermore, regular activation of the stress response and difficulty returning to a state of ‘rest and digest’ may leave you feeling chronically stressed and can impact on your health.
Through yoga practices we are able to have direct influence on regulating the autonomic nervous system, so that we spend less unnecessary time in ‘fight or flight’ and move more easily and flexibly into ‘rest and digest’, where we feel calm, relaxed, and more able to connect with others.
The evidence for breathwork
Breathwork (pranayama) has the most scientific evidence to date, with numerous studies now demonstrating how changing the way we breathe has significant positive impact on our physical and psychological wellbeing. For example, many breathing practices involve extending the exhale, which stimulates the parasympathetic system and therefore calms our entire system.
Breathwork has also been shown to improve heart rate variability (HRV), which indicates the relative balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. When these systems are well balanced (good HRV), we are more able to calmly assess and respond to everyday situations, meaning we have more choice and control over our behaviour. Poor HRV makes people more vulnerable to a variety of both physical ailments and mental health problems.
By practicing pranayama we can improve our HRV and help to reduce secretion of the stress hormone cortisol, alongside increasing protective anti-inflammatory markers.
Strengthening mind-body connections
Research has shown that we are more prone to stress when we are out of touch with our body and the signals it sends and therefore less able to meet our needs before those signals become alarm bells. Essentially, the better the connection between our mind and body, the better our ability to cope with stress.
When practicing asanas, we move our bodies in synchronisation with the breath and focus on the sensations arising moment-by-moment. Through this we begin to notice connections between our emotions and our body, enabling us to begin to explore what happens if we move or breathe a little differently, enhancing our interoceptive awareness.
Strengthening this connection between mind and body helps us to better interpret our physical sensations. This is vital to being able to navigate safely through life (for example, being able to read danger or hunger signals). As Bessel van der Kolk says in his bestselling book, ‘The Body Keeps the Score’: “If you are not aware of what your body needs you can’t take care of it”.
Once we become more viscerally attuned to our needs, we may find ourselves developing a new authentic and naturally arising capacity for self-care.
Other stress-related benefits of yoga
Further benefits related to stress include (but are not limited to):
- Improvements in digestive health including from irritable bowel syndrome, which is often linked to stress or anxiety
- Improving cognitive flexibility by facilitating neuroplasticity through increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
- Increased capacity to manage pain, including chronic pain
- Activation of mirror neurons when moving with a group or following a teacher, which increases empathy, compassion and a sense of connection – thereby stimulating our ‘soothing system’ – an antidote to stress.
How to incorporate yoga into your work life
As we have seen yoga can have enormous benefits for managing stress at work and at home. In the next article I outline practical ways to introduce yoga into your everyday working life.
Dr Bethany Stroyde is a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga Teacher with a special interest in mind-body approaches and works with adults. You can contact her at BethStroyde@Protonmail.com, follow her on Instagram at @heartmindbodypsychology, and find her website at heartmindbodypsychology.com.
