A Short Home Mental Health Practice

A  Short Home Practice for Mental Health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month (established shortly after the end of WWII, which makes sense, doesn’t it?). It’s clear that our nation is keenly tuned into the importance of good mental health: May is also Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month and National Teen Self-Esteem Month.  The first week in May is National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week.  

Why am I telling you all this? As yoga practitioners, most of us have probably used yoga as a mental health crutch at some point, and with a good reason - the twin actions of both physical and mental effort in our yoga practice allow us to develop a deeper awareness of ourselves as “jīva” (pronounced jeeva) -  a living being imbued with a life force. Yoga is a tool and a practice with a goal in mind - the release from the vagaries and fluctuations of our mind so we can enjoy a content life no matter what comes our way. That’s why it fits so well in the mental health equation and is used frequently, along with therapy and/or medication, by mental health professionals. 

So what would constitute a dependable mental health yoga routine for us all?  

Practice asana, pranayama, and meditation daily. When you can’t get to a yoga class, use the yoga tools that you know,  at home. Let your body be the guide of what you need. 

1. Have a home asana and pranayama  practice of 20 or so minutes (try bed yoga if you never have.)  
2. After asana practice, meditate for 10 or so minutes, either sitting or lying down. 
3. After meditation, take a few minutes to reflect on the state of your being, as it is now.  Reflect on anything that lends itself to reflection that day: actions you took today, your mental well-being, anything. Try to end the practice with your soul at peace.

Do this on a regular basis, don’t shortchange yourself -  allot the 30 or so minutes to yourself daily. Consider the 30 minutes to be a practice of self-care hygiene, to be practiced as any other hygiene, routinely, like brushing teeth. 

I’m wishing you all a wonderful Mother’s Day,  whether you celebrate or not. Holidays are wonderful but they can be tough if our family situation is less than ideal. When that happens to me, I return to the practice of gratitude for all I have and Santosha - contentment with all I have.  Stay well and thrive.