yoga pose
© Pixabay/Hannah Wells
Yoga has become exceptionally popular in the past few years, and people are turning to the practice for a multitude of reasons. Most people understand yoga has several health benefits, including increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, and improved respiration, energy, and vitality. Others turn to yoga because it is calming and reduces stress levels. Now, people are turning to yoga to treat mental illness and addiction.

Research Shows Yoga Helps People with Mental Illness

Researchers from Duke University Medical Center set out to determine the effect of yoga on mental health and found that yoga has positive effects on depression, sleep problems, and other psychiatric disorders. Specifically, the team found that yoga improves the symptoms of schizophrenia and ADHD among patients using medication. Some studies suggest yoga affects the body much as antidepressants and psychotherapy do: "yoga may influence brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters (boosting levels of feel-good agents like serotonin), lower inflammation, reduce oxidative stress and produce a healthier balance of lipids and growth factors - just as other forms of exercise do."

Yoga is a complementary treatment for mental disorders, and veterans' centers have been using yoga to treat PTSD, ease anxiety, and improve sleep for quite some time. Researchers urge patients to add yoga to existing treatments rather than replace them with yoga. Typically, yoga practice helps people with mental illness in five ways:

● Calming - Yoga reduces the agitations people with mental illness feel. It is important to note that people who are highly agitated find it more difficult to practice yoga and relax, so they utilize more physical practices such as Asanas, breathing practices, and Kriyas to reap the benefits of yoga

● Increased awareness - Yoga increases awareness of oneself and one's surroundings; individuals with mental illness become more aware of themselves and their surroundings, which alleviates some of their symptoms

● Increased attention span - People who suffer from mental illness often find it difficult to work because they have short attention spans and are easily distracted; yoga leads to more focused attention for longer spans and is especially helpful for individuals with schizophrenia

● Acceptance and adaptability - Individuals with mental illness who practice yoga therapy better handle the outside world because acceptance and adaptability are part of the yoga practice; they learn to better care for themselves because they want to be accepted into society, and they adopt healthier lifestyles

● Increased sense of security - Yoga is a source of strength for patients with mental illness who have insecurities; yoga helps them anchor to an ideal and gain reassurance and security

Yoga as a Complementary Treatment for Addiction

Holistic drug and alcohol treatment options also are growing in popularity and prevalence as a technique for easing patients' withdrawal symptoms. Medical professionals have realized that treating substance abuse must go beyond the physical and include mental and spiritual treatments as well in order to address whole body recovery. Holistic care includes yoga, acupuncture, meditative techniques, massage therapy, chiropractic, and other treatments. Yoga and other complementary treatments focus on restoring balance to the body and mind.

Many rehabilitation facilities offer yoga and mind-body awareness programming to help recovering addicts learn to sit quietly, calm the body and mind with their breath, and experience peace and comfort. They teach patients simple poses to give addicts healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with uncomfortable feelings, desires to relapse, and the issues that led to the addiction. Yoga also helps addicts escape in a healthy, peaceful way so they do not turn to drugs or alcohol.

Overall, yoga also helps on the road to recovery in a few ways:

● Yoga teaches new coping mechanisms

● Yoga helps addicts achieve balanced peace

● Yoga emphasizes making a spiritual connection

● Yoga trains people in self-discipline

Individuals with mental illness and addictions can rely on yoga as a complementary treatment to help them deal with their symptoms, depression, anxiety, and urges to relapse. Yoga restores balance to the mind and body and gives people healthy coping mechanisms.