Kelsey Tasker demonstrates her strength and balance in side crow.
Imagine yourself in a calm and content state of being. Now imagine you are in tune with your body and mind instead of at their mercy.
For many people with mental health issues such as stress or anxiety, this feeling can seem unobtainable, but yoga can help to bring peace within reach.
Bill Ward, a student of athletics and yoga, initially got into the practice to improve his running and cycling but has found benefits outside of that.
“Predominantly with yoga, it is to slow the mind down so that it’s not racing and I can use that in day-to-day life,” Ward said.
Ward found yoga to be helpful in reducing both event-related and daily stress in the 10 years he has been practicing.
“Yoga is an outlet. It lets the mind turn off and you focus on breathing,” he said.
Kelsey Tasker, a yoga instructor with Be Fit For Life at Lethbridge College, said many yoga poses stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is also known as the rest and digest system.
According to an article on the parasympathetic nervous system published by the Cleveland Clinic, last reviewed by a medical professional in June 2022, this system relaxes the body after stress or danger and helps run life-sustaining processes such as digestion and breathing.
“[Yoga] not only helps to calm your body, but your mind is able to calm down as well. So, you’re not in a state of always doing and you’re able to just be in the moment,” Tasker said.
A study conducted in 2010 by Harvard psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert revealed when thinking of pleasant, neutral or unhappy topics, people were either no happier or less happy than they were when fully engaged in what they were doing. This means being present in your life increases your ability to be happy.
“As a yoga instructor, my goal is to get people to focus on the moment right here right now because that’s all we have. Everything in the past is already gone and everything in the future hasn’t happened yet,” Tasker said.
The instructor said there are different types of yoga to fit each person and help achieve their goals, whether it’s wanting to calm down, elevate the heart rate, or build muscle strength.
Ward said even if yoga isn’t for you, you should be active in some form.
“The hardest thing was the first step. Get out of the door or into the classroom and start, then you find the enjoyment,” he said.
Tasker’s advice was to enjoy the small things in life.
“Whether it’s the warmth of the water when you’re washing dishes, the warm sun hitting your skin, or someone’s laughter, life is those little moments pieced together,” she said.
Be Fit For Life’s schedules for yoga and other fitness classes are available online at lethbridgecollege.ca/departments/be-fit-for-life.
Kelsey Tasker and Bill Ward practice different stretches and yoga poses.