Benefits of yoga: 7 ways yoga asanas boosts physical, mental, psychological health

Yoga benefits: From everyday tension to clinical anxiety, the mix of breathwork, movement, and meditation can calm your nervous system and help you feel more grounded (Image: Canva)

From calming your nerves to boosting your energy, and uplifting your mood, yoga is about flexibility, fitness and mental well-being. A research published in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), shows that yoga can improve psychological health for everyone, whether you're feeling stressed, recovering from illness, or managing a mental health condition.

Here’s how yoga can help your mind, not just your body:

• It lowers stress and anxiety: Multiple studies show that yoga reduces stress and anxiety. From everyday tension to clinical anxiety, the mix of breathwork, movement, and meditation can calm your nervous system and help you feel more grounded.

• It helps fight depression: Yoga has been found to improve mood and reduce symptoms in people with depressive disorders. It can be a supportive practice alongside therapy or even offer similar benefits to cognitive-behavioural techniques in some cases.

• It supports mental health recovery: People dealing with PTSD and schizophrenia have reported improvements in mental stability and emotional regulation after practicing yoga. It provides a safe space to reconnect with the body and mind in a controlled, mindful way.

• It boosts emotional energy and self-esteem: Studies show that yoga doesn’t just calm you, it can uplift you. Regular practice has been linked to increased positive emotions, a greater sense of vitality, and even higher self-esteem.

• It reduces fatigue in recovery: Feeling drained? Yoga can help with that too. Cancer patients and others recovering from illness have experienced reduced fatigue and better energy levels after yoga-based interventions.

• It improves life satisfaction: A consistent yoga practice that includes movement, meditation, and breathing exercises has been shown to improve overall life satisfaction. Even a weekly class combined with home practice can make a meaningful difference.

• Even short sessions make a difference: You don’t need hours of practice to feel the benefits. One study found that just two minutes of standing yoga poses improved mood. Another showed that specific poses like backbends boosted energy and emotional outlook more than other types of movement.