Mental health is more then just abnormalities in the brain, it’s also about growth and practical reasoning. People often see mental health as a choice, an addiction to attention, a lack of mental capacity, or even an excuse. However those who experience it on daily know that’s far from the truth, no one chooses to be depressed, shut down when giving a talk, or sweat profusely when you trip in public.
(NewMexico.org/events)
Bad habits await right around the corner when we want to forget all about it or make sure it never happens. Drinking at parties to be more social, not going to class to avoid answering questions, or buying an extensive amount of goods to full the emptiness. These are temptations that pull you in all the wrong direction; away from your goals, away from your family, and more importantly away from yourself. There are so many reasons why we tend to naturally fall into these unfortunate habits as human beings. Whether it’s fitting in with the cool kids, not knowing the potential risk of certain behaviors or a genetic disposition to addiction it happens to all of us at least once in our lives.
I’ve been recently exploring various coping skills that brings my best self forward, reading yoga, meditation, and refocusing my mental states. I reached out to one of my good yogi buddies to inquire more about what yoga does for the mind,body, and soul. I took one of Katie’s yoga classes, which I will post all the information on below. She went over how we build us stress in our everyday life which in turn keeps the sympathetic nervous system hyperactive. This means your body is always anxious. Yoga activates the parasympathetic system which helps the body relax the muscles and return back to a normal state of being.
Katie has been doing yoga since 2014, about 5 years so it makes sense that she’s a an amazing yoga teacher that understands the body and what it’s capable of. Her first experience with yoga is when she took part in a local yoga in the park event. She noticed in helped it manage some chronic pain she was having and was hooked ever since! Yoga decreased her anxiety and helped her connect on a deeper level with her family and the people in the community.
The downward facing dog is a really beneficial pose because it opens up the whole body and and stretches everything out at once, which is why Katie nominates it as one of her many favorites! I asked if what she recommends for people who are new to yoga and she said take it slow and steady. Starting of with all level or beginner classes and ones that are donation based are helpful because there is no serious commitments involved. Katie’s family is full of yogis! Her daughter Hannah started teaching yoga last year and her husband Robert got his certificate a couple of weeks ago (YAY!). So there is obviously something that attracts people to use yoga as a way to cope with the disparities of life.
You can find the schedule of classes at https://atheartcenteryoga.com/class-scheduleor on Facebook at ‘At Heart Center Yoga’. Feel free to reach out to Katie or Hannah with any questions, concerns, or advice they would be more then happy to help.
- Katie Silva Garcia (Facebook)
- katiesilvagarcia (Instagram)
- Hannah Madrid (Facebook)
- hannah_yogi_james (Instagram)
Of course there are online resources you can use as well that can cater to a variety of needs. I understand that not everyone is the same and different things work for different people.
- Yoga for Beginners (https://youtu.be/t3joHNOOyYY)
- Mental Health (https://www.mentalhealth.gov/)
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America (https://adaa.org/)
- Choosing Better Coping Skill (https://www.psychologytoday.com)
- Mind Body Yoga Flow (https://mindbodyflowyoga.com)
Comment below what coping skills you have developed or tried out I would love to hear them! Have a beautiful day! One Love ❤️💛💚
