There’s no gentle way of putting it: we’re living in times that test our compassion, resilience, tolerance, grief, and hope—sometimes all in one day. Our nervous systems are overstimulated, swinging between extreme highs and lows, leaving us collectively struggling to maintain mental health.
Thankfully, modern solutions like talk therapy and spirituality may help us cope. But there’s more available to us. Yoga—often misunderstood as just a physical workout—has applications far beyond the mat, including powerful support for mental health.
A Modern Understanding of Yoga
For years, yoga faced skepticism in the West, dismissed as pseudoscience. But early adopters experienced its transformative benefits: improved mood, emotional resilience, physical endurance, and self-regulation through breath - to name a few common observations. Although many yoga practitioners began evangelizing it as a powerful pathway towards mental health, there wasn’t sufficient modern scientific evidence to convince the general public of its efficacy - until recent years.
In the past few decades, academics have caught wind of the irrefutable physiological and psychological benefits of having a regular yoga practice. Studies demonstrate the profound physiological and psychological effects of regular yoga practice on our general well-being, from Pranayama (breathwork) and Dhyana (meditation) to Asana (physical postures). Yoga goes far beyond the surface, offering tools to help us navigate the stressors of modern life.
We no longer live in the world yoga was first codified for. Today’s challenges—endless emails marked “URGENT,” climate disasters, and existential questions about purpose—create physical and mental distress. Shortness of breath, high blood pressure, and chronic stress are just some of the manifestations.
Modern medicine offers critical solutions, but it’s not the only way. Mental and physical health are deeply intertwined, and yoga offers unique tools to address both.
Here are three ways you can use yoga to support your mental health:
1. Use the Yamas and Niyamas as Frameworks for a Balanced Life
Our society often prioritizes individualism—ambition, financial success, and social status—over collectivism. While these pursuits aren’t inherently bad, they can foster scarcity mindsets and self-centered behaviors. Humans thrive in community, and the Yamas (ethical disciplines) offer a framework for reconnecting with others and the planet.
Yamas, the first limb of yoga, consist of five key ethical disciplines that can help us return to communal, healing ways of living. The five Yamas are: Ahimsa (non-harming), Asteya (non-stealing), Aparigraha (non-possessiveness), Satya (truthfulness), and Brahmacharya (moderation). For example:
- Practicing Brahmacharya (moderation) in your consumption of things, like media, ideas and entertainment, helps us clarify what we truly need in life.
- Being discerning and letting go of physical and mental clutter (Aparigraha) creates space for better things.
- Speaking and living your truth (Satya) reduces anxiety about having to “perform” for society.
On the other hand, the five Niyamas, or internal observances, build character and discipline: Saucha (cleanliness), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (discipline), Svadhyaya (self-study), and Isvara Pranidhana (surrender to higher power). These complement the Yamas:
- Releasing physical and mental clutter (Aparigraha) leads to a clean, focused mind and space (Saucha).
- Moderating your energy, time, and consumption (Brahmacharya) fosters discipline and passion in all that you do (Tapas).
- Practicing gratitude for what you have (Santosha) makes non-stealing (Asteya) your default.
When we live by these principles, we break down the illusion of separation between us (Maya). Once we’re acting compassionately and mindfully towards each other, there is less divisiveness and more peace in our communities and in our hearts.
2. Move Through Difficult Emotions with Asana
Transforming society is a long-term process. In the meantime, how do we process the difficult emotions that arise daily?
Beyond employing cognitive frameworks to understand, digest, and act on life’s challenges, we can also use our bodies to process and heal. Asana, the third limb of yoga, works through the body to clear energetic blockages, build awareness, and regulate emotional states. Anxiety, for example, often manifests physically as numbness, a racing pulse, or sweaty palms. Mindful Asana grounds us, helping us regain a sense of control.
By guiding the body into specific postures, we can intentionally move Prana (life force energy), clearing blockages, increasing vitality, and triggering subtle but significant physiological shifts. Asana also develops bodily awareness, empowering us to better understand and respond to our emotions.
Here are a few examples:
- Poses with legs elevated above the torso boost circulation and re-energize us when we feel sadness.
- Postures that allow the weight to release into the earth or onto props calm heightened emotions.
- Simple, repetitive flows like Vinyasa sequences or Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) provide meditative quiet and emotional relief.
Through Asana, we reconnect with our bodies, creating space for emotional release and healing.
3. Regulate Stress with Pranayama
It’s often said, “Where the breath goes, awareness follows.” Emotional shifts directly affect the breath, which often becomes shallow or erratic during stress. In addition to moving the body through Asana, learning about Pranayama (breath control), the fourth limb of yoga, empowers us to consciously regulate this response.
Pranayama is scientifically proven to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs the “rest-and-digest” response. Popular pranayama techniques such as Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) and Sama Vritti Pranayama (Box Breathing) facilitate slower, deeper breaths, which lower heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and decrease cortisol levels—all key to stress reduction.
Beyond relieving stress, studies show that Pranayama improves vagal tone—the parasympathetic nervous system’s influence on heart function—enhancing emotional regulation and resilience. The simple act of “taking a breath” takes on profound significance when you understand how effectively it can help manage physiological responses during mental health crises.
Yoga & Mental Health
Yoga offers modern tools for mental health. It teaches us how to find balance internally and externally, gives us tools to regulate emotional highs and lows (including how to accept the extremes), and how to take control of our own healing. We become infinitely powerful once we truly understand our capabilities, both mental and physical.
Yoga is here to support you in your journey - use it wisely, and use it often.
Divya is practicing on our PROlite® Yoga Mat with Cork Yoga Blocks and wearing our Dhara Tank and Capri Leggings in Avian Heather.
Stay connected with Divya on Instagram @divyabala and @yogaoffthematpodcast.
