Yoga and Meditation: How it Can Ease Our Mental Stress During a Global Crisis
At Coastbeat, we have often spoken about the importance of mental health, which during times of physical distancing is even more important.
Mental health is comprised of our social, emotional, and psychological wellbeing, and it impacts how we feel, think, and act. When we become aware of the state of our mental health, we better understand how we make decisions, relate to other people, and deal with stress. We can try to busy ourselves by working on a project, learning a new hobby, or keeping up with friends and family. However, what disrupts our peace is within us, and it will not go away until we deal with the problem and see it from a different perspective. This is where meditation and yoga come in.
Benefits of meditation and yoga
Overall, yoga and meditation are known methods for alleviating anxiety and stress. Meditation is vital for getting you into a headspace where you become mindful of the present moment. It can take you into a calm and relaxed state to facilitate better in the execution of your yoga poses.
In addition to helping to reduce stress, yoga improves your fitness. It enhances your overall balance, strength, and flexibility. Chronic diseases and conditions can be managed with yoga, as it aids in reducing risk factors for ailments like hypertension and heart disease, and conditions like insomnia and depression.
What is great about meditation and yoga is that people from all age groups and fitness levels can join in. Furthermore, you do not have to be an expert to perform them. You will find plenty of yoga video tutorials, from beginner to expert levels, which you can follow and practice whenever you can.
Yoga and meditation apps to help with your healing
With the surge of people coming forward and opening up about their mental health struggles, more and more channels have been popping up to help address these issues. During a period of struggle as a consequence of physical isolation, with chances of developing depression and anxiety, a yoga and meditation app can help ease the tension while keeping you in good physical shape. Before you download an app, make sure that it has scientific backing and support from mental health experts. Here are some apps we can recommend.
We would like to remind you, however, that it is best to check with your doctor if a new exercise routine is good for you.
Universal Breathing – Pranayama (Free on Android and iOS)
Discover the ancient art of mindful breathing through this app. Bring balance back into your life as you go into a meditative state to relieve yourself of your worries and stresses of daily living. You can adjust the breathing exercises according to your breathing level and preference in the length of time. Aided with animated visuals and music, you can learn slower, deeper breathing in no time.
Yoga Studio: Mind & Body (Paid)
For only $6, you will have access to 65 ready-made yoga workouts that range from short to long classes and from beginner to advanced levels. Go through guided meditations and breathing exercises which are easy to follow. There is also a Family Yoga feature that lets you and the family work on your strength, balance, and stability.
Pocket Yoga (Paid)
By getting Pocket Yoga for $4, you will receive access to full yoga classes that you can practice anytime, anywhere. Choose from a variety of workouts, difficulty levels, and durations. Whichever you prefer, you Pocket Yoga always has something for every yogi user. The app also includes a dictionary of all the poses featured in the sessions. In addition to pose descriptions, the app shows you illustrations of the correct alignment and posture and its benefits.
Daily Yoga (Paid with a 7-Day Free Trial)
For the beginner yogi, you can learn basic yoga poses with Daily Yoga’s many different guided classes that you can easily follow. For the more experienced yogi, uncover advanced courses and flows that are prepared by world-class yoga masters. The paid app gets you 500+ asanas, 500+ guided yoga, 70+ yoga programs, meditation sessions, pilates, as well as an extensive yoga pose library for both men and women from beginners to experts.
FitStar Yoga (Free unlockable classes for a monthly or yearly subscription)
From the creators of Fitbit and yogi guru, Tara Stiles, comes FitStar Yoga. For a Premium subscription, you will have access to the following: guided programs, mindfulness exercises, easy to advanced dynamic workouts, sleep tools to monitor heart rate, and health and fitness tracking (using your FitBit).
Sometimes, we forget that our mental health is as equally important as our physical health. And in an age where we are becoming more conscious of ourselves, we must take time to focus inward, provide self-care, and live a self-directed life. We can recover from an emotional slump when we start within and get proper help. Together, we will be able to weather out this pandemic if we keep to a healthy mind and body. Make full use of the technology we have and let the healing commence.