Yoga therapy provides a wide range of tools to support people with their mental health. It can serve as a complementary (and not substitute) practice to the work of a psychologist or psychiatrist. Below, I have given a brief description of how yoga therapy can support specific mental health challenges. This list is by no means exhaustive.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a condition of mind that is common to all people, to a greater or lesser degree. However, in today’s fast-paced world, anxiety is becoming more chronic. Yoga therapy provides a number of strategies to address anxiety, namely:

  • Techniques to change thinking patterns, so the mind is less obsessed by worry;
  • Methods to calm the stress response so one is not in hyperactive mode all the time;
  • Regulation of the breath to facilitate the calming of the mind;
  • Changing perspectives on life by adopting a more spiritual approach in which one builds healthy connections to oneself, to others and to nature; and in which one builds a relationship to something greater than oneself

Depression

A yoga therapist understands that depression manifests differently in each individual and has to be treated respectfully and progressively. Various yoga techniques can support a person undergoing depression in several ways by:

  • Building greater resilience so one is less susceptible to stress;
  • Providing cognitive skills to reduce rumination;
  • Promoting new perspectives of self and life, especially regarding self-acceptance;
  • Increasing motivation to engage in positive action to improve the quality of life for oneself and others.

ADHD

It is estimated that 5-11 % of young people aged 4-17 struggle with ADHD, hampering their ability to study and engage socially with others. Young people are certainly highly stimulated with excessive screen time, endless choices, and the need to constantly compare themselves with others on social media. Yoga therapy also offers tools for calming the ADHD mind:

  • To counteract hyperactivity, yoga provides slow movement, breath control and nervous system regulation;
  • Yoga supports attentiveness through various attention control exercises;
  • Impulsivity is eased through mindfulness practices that lengthen the time between trigger and response, thereby facilitating a more measured emotional response.