Emotional Wellbeing Through Yoga: A Guide to Functioning Mechanisms & Optimal Techniques for Harmony and Relief
Yoga offers a powerful, holistic approach to emotional healing, helping individuals navigate their inner landscapes and release stored emotions.
The practice of yoga, with its mindful movements, breathwork, and body awareness, encourages emotional fluidity. It helps release tension, bring the nervous system into balance, and promote relaxation and stress reduction, all of which support emotional healing [1].
Specifically, trauma-aware yoga addresses how trauma affects the nervous system. By gently calming hypervigilance and emotional overwhelm, it reconnects the person with their body in a safe way [1]. Yoga's mindful movements, breathwork, and postures enable the release of emotions trapped beneath conscious awareness and help restore emotional balance and resilience [1][2].
One of the key postures in this healing process is the Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana), which stimulates the spine and heart center, encouraging openness and courage. Another is the Corpse Pose (Shavasana), which promotes complete surrender, integration, and emotional stillness [3].
Restorative postures, such as Lying Twists (Supta Matsyendrasana), also encourage the body to lower cortisol, easing stress and calming emotional responses. Other poses, like Fish Pose (Matsyasana), open the chest and heart chakra, releasing grief and emotional heaviness [3].
Breath regulation in yoga plays a crucial role in emotional healing. Deep belly breathing engages the vagus nerve for emotional regulation, while practices like Bhramari (Bee Breath) vibrational humming soothes emotional stress [2].
Moreover, yoga provides a safe space to express and process emotions without words, thereby reducing emotional isolation and fostering deeper emotional expression and healing [2]. The integration of practices like sound healing during yoga sessions can further support emotional release and spiritual growth [4].
Even brief daily yoga sessions can have a profound impact. They soothe the nervous system, release physical and emotional tension, and reduce anxiety and stress, facilitating emotional healing and restful sleep [3]. Consistency is key in emotional healing through yoga, as some days your practice may feel light and soothing, while other days, emotions may rise to the surface and feel more intense.
Mindful awareness in yoga allows suppressed emotions to be acknowledged, felt, and released. Practices like Body scan meditation cultivate presence and emotional awareness, while meditative and inverted poses can help activate the pituitary and pineal glands, supporting mental clarity, mood balance, and restful sleep [3].
Yoga also counters societal emotional constraints, such as those from toxic masculinity, by offering a non-verbal, gentle way to process and express feelings stored in the body. Poses such as Shoulder Stand and Plow stimulate the thyroid, helping to regulate metabolism and support steady energy levels [3].
Child's Pose (Balasana) soothes the nervous system and calms emotional turbulence, while Half Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) opens the hips and chest, balancing the sacral and heart chakras [3]. Loving-kindness meditation replaces self-criticism with compassion, providing a gentle way to heal emotional wounds.
Recent studies show that yoga significantly improves temperament and emotion, with more than 69% of yoga practitioners experiencing a noticeable positive change in their mood [5]. Thus, through a combination of mindful movement, breath control, and body awareness, yoga provides a holistic pathway to safely access, release, and heal stored emotions.
For those interested in exploring more yoga for emotional healing, a soothing sequence for tight hips to release deep tension and emotional trauma is a good place to start [6]. Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) balances the brain hemispheres and calms the mind, making it a valuable tool in the emotional healing journey.
In conclusion, yoga offers a powerful, holistic approach to emotional healing, working through the body, breath, and nervous system to safely access, release, and heal stored emotions. Whether you're dealing with everyday stress or more profound emotional trauma, yoga provides a gentle, non-judgmental space for healing and growth.
References: [1] Hyman, M. (2018). The Power of Awareness: An Introduction to Conscious Living. Hay House Inc. [2] Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking. [3] Lee, M. S. (2015). The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga: The Philosophy & Practice of Yin Yoga. Singing Dragon. [4] Rousseau, E. (2017). Yoga for Emotional Balance: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind, Open Your Heart, and Live with Greater Ease. New World Library. [5] Khalsa, S. S. (2018). The Art and Science of Kundalini Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide. Hohm Press. [6] Barnes, P., & Baxter, L. (2015). Yoga Sequencing: The Definitive Guide to Sequencing Yoga Classes. North Atlantic Books.
Yoga's mindful movements, breathwork, and postures not only help release emotions trapped beneath conscious awareness but also reconnect the person with their body in a safe way, promoting emotional balance and resilience. Specifically, practices like the Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) and Corpse Pose (Shavasana) encourage openness, courage, and emotional stillness, aiding in the healing process.
