International Yoga Day 2020: This Year’s Theme & Mental Benefits of Yoga to Combat Coronavirus Lockdown

Coming Sunday, 21st June 2020 will mark the sixth edition of the International Yoga Day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an event ‘My Life My Yoga’ for yoga day in his ‘Mann ki Baat’. This edition of International Yoga Day will encourage people to stay fit & active during coronavirus lockdown.

This year’s theme for International Yoga Day on 21st June 2020 is "Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family." International Yoga Day this year will be observed at home due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Yoga & Mental Health During Coronavirus:

Many families & people are in quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have lost their jobs, many are facing money issues, and so much is going on in these times. We all must pay attention to our mental health and peace during these difficult times. Various researchers & experts are already saying that there are very high chances of more & more people suffering from anxiety, depression and bad mental health because of Coronavirus quarantines and lockdowns.

Gyms are mostly closed and going out for any physical activity is very risky. In these bad time, we all can opt for Yoga to combat our overall health issues. Yoga has many physical and mental benefits. Yoga is considered overall health booster all over the world.

We are going to discuss here how doing Yoga can improve your mental health. So let’s start.

Mental Benefits of Yoga:

1. Yoga Helps in Fighting Depression:

Yoga helps in depression in a different way than regular medicine. By exercising particularly in Yogic way helps to calm restlessness in body and mind. The philosophy behind yogic exercises is to find inner source of joy and calmness. A study by the University of Boston claimed that practising Yoga at least twice a week can helps in fight depression mainly due to deep inhalations you take during the practice.

Yoga has the ability to lower the levels of Cortisol, a stress hormone that is also a Neurotransmitter associated with depression. Doing Yoga relaxes the body, deepens the breathing, slow the heartbeat & balance the blood circulation. These results in reduction of stress.

2. Yoga Decreases Anxiety:

In today’s modern times, we have very busy lifestyles. We spend more time in our offices than our homes. Stress has become very common in today’s generation. Yoga can help here as it has proven benefits for all stress related problems such as High Blood Pressure, Depression, Anxiety etc.

Yoga has a most important principle of synchronizing breathing & movement. It helps in restoring resting state for mind & body & reduce anxiety and excessive tension. Yoga also helps in dealing with lack of energy and decrease the stress hormone Cortisol.

Yoga has many physical & mental benefits. Practising yoga daily gives a ‘Sense of Self’ which helps us becoming calmer and happier in our daily lives. Yoga helps in syncing our Mind, Body & Soul, that is why it is becoming more & more popular all across the world. The best part is Yoga can be practised anywhere from parks to homes.