How Yoga Builds Mental and Physical Strength

The practice of yoga is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. This could be because of its adaptability to all experience levels. Or, it could be due to its versatility in appealing to different types of people. Most likely, yoga is becoming more popular due to its ability to increase mental and physical strength and bolster the connection between body and mind.

Not many types of exercise can provide the plethora of benefits that yoga can offer. This is because few activities simultaneously prioritize the health of the mind and body the way that yoga does. Yoga can benefit people of any age and be practiced in groups or individually. Let’s discuss exactly how yoga can improve mental and physical strength and how this benefits addiction recovery.

Mental Strength

As mentioned, practicing yoga can increase mental strength. It can help increase focus and improve your ability to remove distractions and prioritize and organize your thoughts. This can be helpful when triggering thoughts or cravings of using or drinking may arise. Yoga also increases your ability to self-reflect, as the practice encourages listening to and connecting with your inner self.

Stress management is imperative when it comes to success in recovery. Yoga involves breathing techniques that can be extremely useful in reducing and coping with stress. It encourages relaxation and can be practiced as often as needed to help you maintain a calm and balanced state.

Yoga also promotes mental clarity. This is very important when it comes to addiction recovery. Life can get busy and hectic, and losing sight of your goals can be easy. Yoga can help remind you of what is really important by removing distractions.

Lastly, yoga improves mental strength by increasing self-confidence. When you are confident, you are more successful. Having confidence in recovery allows you to feel more secure in your decisions and helps you feel more comfortable asking for support when you might need it. Learn more about how yoga can help you manage substance use disorders (SUDs) here.

Physical Strength

Yoga improves physical strength in several different ways. Yoga is gentle on the joints and bones, yet can significantly strengthen muscle strength and endurance. The poses in yoga rely on your body weight for resistance. Not only does this increase muscle strength, but it can also make everyday activities easier as a result.

Yoga also improves muscle endurance. This occurs as a result of holding various yoga poses. If you are new to yoga, you might find this to be a little tricky at first. With practice, you will notice that holding poses becomes more accessible as your muscle strength and endurance increase.

Speaking of holding yoga poses, this also requires quite a bit of balance. This is part of what makes holding poses difficult in the beginning. Yoga can help improve balance tremendously. Good balance improves how you walk, run, or even dance.

One of the first things people often think about when it comes to yoga is flexibility. Some may even decide to try yoga for this benefit alone. Yoga improves flexibility and mobility. Just like strength and balance, having good flexibility and mobility can make everyday activities a bit easier.

Mind and Body Connection

We have discussed the ways in which yoga can strengthen the mind and body. Now, let’s discuss how it strengthens the connection between the two.

Yoga incorporates an important concept known as mindfulness. Mindfulness refers to the practice of connecting the mind and body to focus on being present in the moment. Yoga utilizes mindfulness by encouraging participants to be still and focus on their breath as they flow from pose to pose.

In addiction recovery, mindfulness allows you to connect the progress you are making mentally with the healing and progress you are making physically. This connection is what keeps you focused and moving forward in recovery. Learn more about mindfulness here.

Enlightened Solutions uses yoga to provide all of the benefits mentioned above to our clients and even ties it into the 12-Step process during treatment. Our instructors help clients develop a practice that works well for them and help them adapt poses and movements to their own comfort and experience level.

With all of the benefits yoga can provide mentally and physically, why not incorporate it into your routine in recovery? You may choose to practice daily, weekly, or even less consistently. Whether you decide to spend five minutes or an hour practicing yoga at a time, you are increasing your mental and physical strength, along with your mind and body connection through mindfulness.

Being mentally and physically strong can benefit your quality of life. In treatment and recovery, mental and physical strength can aid in your success and your ability to remain focused on your goals. Adding yoga into your routine during treatment and recovery is a good idea for many reasons. Not only does it increase mental and physical strength, but it also encourages a mind and body connection to help you heal. Enlightened Solutions offers yoga classes as part of our treatment program. We understand the benefits of the practice and aim to help our clients recognize how yoga can improve their experience during treatment and in recovery. Yoga is part of our holistic approach to treatment, and we have seen the ways in which it can help our clients heal. If you or someone you care about is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, call Enlightened Solutions at (833) 801-LIVE.