Fitness Belfast + Yoga Online for Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

Fitness Belfast Studio Bootcamp Yoga LIVE Home Online Workout On Demand.jpg — Yoga +
**Mental Health**

I’m pretty vocal, (to anyone that will listen lol), that enjoying a regular yoga practice has had a profound affect on my mental health.

And so i’m thrilled when I’m asked to share the positivity with others - and throughout this Mental Health Awareness Week I am delighted to be working with teams from the Education Authority, FinTrU, Belfast Met & Belfast Ravens, hosting unique online yoga practices that promote a strong sense of mental wellbeing.

If you're new to yoga, or are just keen to find out more, read on for a few reasons that I think a regular yoga practice could help you, and as an Aware NI Ambassador, I’d encourage you to give some yoga a go for their 25th Anniversary AWARE 25 Challenge!

1 - YOGA KEEPS YOU SUPPLE LIKE A NINJA AND WHO DOESN'T WANNA FEEL LIKE A NINJA

Whether it’s shifting between shoppers on a Saturday afternoon, trying to beat a traffic warden to your car seconds before that ticket runs out, or simple snatch & grab technique to steal some chips from your partners plate, a regular yoga practice could definitely help.

2 - YOGA COULD HELP YOU MEET SOME AWESOME NEW PEOPLE

Pretty soon yoga studios will reopen & you know who are a jolly happy bunch? Yogis! Bask in their presence regularly and you too could feel that yoga glow and perhaps meet a few awesome like minded folk in the process.

3 - YOGA COULD HELP REDUCE FEELINGS OF STRESS OR ANXIETY

Pranayama, the breathing exercises used throughout a balanced yoga practice can feel a little awkward to begin with. Stick with it however, and you could be breathing like Darth Vader and clearing feelings of stress or anxiety, with the deeply grounding feeling that comes with exploring your own breath.

4 - YOGA HELPS REMOVE PHYSICAL PAIN

Whether it’s poor posture from habits formed whilst WFH or mental anguish manifesting as physical pain, yoga has you covered. By focusing on strengthening and creating space in the spine, yoga can help build a body that can cope with demands of every day tasks – like carrying your shopping home from Lidl – whilst still leaving you with all the flexibility you need to go jiving when the pubs reopen.

6 - YOGA CAN INCREASE CONFIDENCE

Each and every time you step onto your mat you are likely to bring a little physical strain or anguish along for the ride. Practice regularly and yoga could help remove this wasteful baggage, leaving you feeling a little more comfortable in your own skin. Allow yoga to become a part of your lifestyle and watch how this acceptance of whats what breeds increased feelings of self efficacy, improves confidence and ultimately brings a smile when there may not have been one.