The Happy Hub Draft

“
Please
Now if you please, come into all
fours, breath in deeply and on
your exhale push into Downward
Facing Dog by lifting your hips
towards the sky and then settle
into an upside down V shape
“
- it may not be the usual advice many young adults
would consider on how to look after their mental
well-being to counter stress and anxiety.
However, more people than ever before are doing
some form of Mindfulness and Yoga and the science
boffins have discovered it has some quite extraordinary
effects on the brains of those who do it regularly. It is
particularly beneficial for young adults who may have
to deal with worries about their future career prospects,
university opportunities, examination results, relationships,
body image, the impact of social media, the environment,
Covid-19, and most of all, being able to talk
openly about all of these concerns.
Yoga and Mindfulness, though considered stereo-typically
performed by hippy gurus or monks with shaved
heads wrapped in vibrant-coloured sheets sat in
mountain temples chanting, “OM”, or by ‘perfect’ looking
models clad in sleek designer leggings performing
impossible feats of gymnastics on the front of glossy
magazines, has been found to help thousands of young
people. And this is entirely regardless of wealth, flexibility,
beliefs, strength, or body shape, to simply foster
a sense of emotional calm. Though I often hear many
young adults say, but “I am not flexible enough to do
Yoga!” I often reply, “That’s like saying
‘I am too dirty to take a bath!’”
All you need is a body and perhaps
a mat to get started.
So how does Mindfulness and
Yoga work? Here comes the
science bit!
The bad news is our brains are
hard-wired to be constantly
anxious by seeking out danger
that could hurt us. The
good news is, there are some
cool Yoga and Mindfulness
tools we can use
to help us deal with
our over-vigilant
brains.
Think of your
brain as being
like an unfinished
shared
house: The firstfloor
upstairs is
by Tristessa Moore
“
feel the
weight of your feet
on the floor, noticing
their heaviness, and
the contact they are
making inside your
shoes
“
LET YOGA DEA
STRESS – SO Y
YO
FOR YOUN
where the ‘Thinkers’ live – they help us to plan ahead, problem
solve, study, and balance our emotions thus keeping us
calm.
The ground floor is where the ‘Feelers’ live. They are driven
by survival instinct; they help us to keep us safe by making
sure our needs are met. When the ‘Feelers’ sound the danger
alarm, from a potential threat, our body prepares to either
fight, run, hide, or freeze. The trouble is, the ‘Feelers’ can often
get it wrong, and will take over the ‘Thinkers’ upstairs. This
isn’t helped by the fact that the upstairs part of our brain is
under construction until our mid to late twenties. When our
‘Feelers’ take over the ‘Thinkers’, we are constantly distracted
by the need for the ‘Feelers’ to find danger. In fact, a scientific
study found that our minds wander nearly 50% of the time
and when we do, we often think about unpleasant things. This
stops us from concentrating and being good at something. Instead,
we are trapped in depressive thoughts about the past
and worrying anxieties about the future. However, both Yoga
and Mindfulness focuses our attention on the present moment
– the here and now.
Yoga is a mind-body system: ‘Yoga’ is a Sanskrit Indian word
which means to ‘unite’.’ When we are anxious, stressed, and
worried, we live too much in our heads. What makes Yoga
different to other forms of exercise is that movements are coordinated
with breathing, so that we focus more on physical
sensations in our bodies and the part of the brain that registers
these is the same place where our sense of self, and
identity lives.
By practicing Mindfulness and Yoga we come home to, and,
are more comfortable with ourselves. The more we notice
sensations and emotions, the better we are at making wiser
choices for our own well-being and self-care.