8 April 2021

How yoga can benefit your mental health

Yoga is not only a great workout for the body – it also has amazing benefits for the mind. Here are five ways practicing yoga can improve your mental health.

  • Dissipate Anger

Consistent yoga practice has been shown to increase your ability to control and let go of anger in a more healthy way. Practicing yoga has also been shown to decrease verbal aggression in adults.

  • Relieve Anxiety

Various studies have found that yoga can help decrease anxiety symptoms, in a range of settings and can also reduce stress levels. It works by regulating your stress response system, reducing your heart rate and even your blood pressure – all things that anti-anxiety medication helps to do. Yoga practice is a great way to clear your mind of thoughts so you can focus on the present, making sure you don’t get stuck in negative thought fixation; bringing balance and peace back into your hectic life.

  • Improve Sleep

Consistent yoga practice can help you sleep better and for longer, and can even help to manage symptoms of insomnia. Those who make yoga a part of their routine find they fall asleep quicker, sleep for longer, and go back to sleep more easily after waking up at night. 

  • Boost Mood

Studies have shown yoga can help reduce depression and help stabilise your mood. Yoga helps to boost your GABA levels, a neurotransmitter in your brain that’s responsible for the way you feel. Low levels of GABA are associated with feelings of depression so by increasing your levels you can make positive steps to increase your mood.

  • Improve Concentration

Research has shown that yoga can boost concentration and memory skills because you have to focus during your practice. To get the most out of your yoga practice you really have to turn inward and listen to your body and that inner voice. It’s this concentration that your brain becomes accustomed to and you can use it outside of your yoga practices.

Improve your mental health with our yoga classes in Cheshire

Ready to improve your mental health and boost your brain power through yoga? We’ve got a range of yoga classes in Cheshire spread across our various studios. Take a look at our timetables and find the class for you.

8 February 2021

Staying active while working from home

 There are many advantages to working from home. No daily commute, sweatpants every day, time with your dog and just a better work/life balance in general. But one of the disadvantages is that it’s only too easy to stop being active. Staying active while working from home is so important for our physical and mental wellbeing, and if you’ve been struggling with it, here are our top tips to keep you moving.

Get into a routine

Outlining a routine that includes your regular exercise will help you stay active. Planning ahead and creating a set time will make it a non-negotiable and will make sure you actually have time to get in some activity.

Use what you have at home

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have lots of fancy gym equipment. You can do bodyweight training such as push-ups, sit-ups and squats that will still be beneficial to you. And if you want to up the weight go to the kitchen and grab a bag of sugar or some tins!

Move every hour

It’s not good to sit down for long periods of time but it’s really easy to do if you’ve got settled comfortably on the sofa and you’re concentrating on work. Before you know it it’s been 4 hours and you haven’t moved a muscle! While you might get a lot of work done this way, it can put you at increased risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure – plus burnout! Make sure you get up and move every hour. Set a timer to remind you!

Use your lunch hour to get outside

It’s important whilst you’re working from home to take breaks and that includes a full lunch hour. Why not use this time to get a little fresh air and a walk in? If you have any parks or green spaces near your home even better!

Take advantage of online classes

The digital age has given us access to so many opportunities during this lockdown period and one of those things is a variety of online classes. Whatever you enjoy doing, yoga, HIIT, weight training and whatever your ability, you’ll find the class for you online. So while you might not be able to get to the gym, you can still do what you enjoy with the help of an instructor. We’re running online yoga classes whilst our studios are closed and we’ve had such a fantastic response so far. Plus, it’s been lovely to have some interaction with our regular yogis and it’s been fabulous seeing so many new people join!