Yoga and Team Sports

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article discussing the benefits of various sports and their impact on mental health.  Specifically, the article referenced a research experiment by Dr. Adam Chekroud, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale.  The study measured the number of days within a month that participants rated their mental health as "poor" due to emotional strife such as stress, anxiety, or depression.  Results showed that participants who engaged in some sort of group fitness (group classes or team sports) or yoga/tai chi reported a higher rate of good mental health days than those that engaged in individual activities (running, walking). Dr. Checkroud proposed that the social component of group fitness or team activities may improve mental health, and the mindfulness component within yoga and tai chi may contribute to positive mental health.

This article struck home for me, as I initially began my exercise routine with jogging, stair climbing, and swimming at a gym.  Though exercise has been shown to improve physical and mental health, I actually found that these types of solitary activities provided hours of time for rumination - or over-analyzing my thoughts continuously.  Where those types of exercises failed, yoga succeeded: I spent enough mental energy figuring out the poses and listening to the directions, that my brain had no room to ponder other things. Now that I have muscle memory for some of the poses, I can practice mindfulness and breathwork during class, keeping my brain passively engaged and free from rumination. 

If you find yourself, like me, leaving a workout feeling mentally exhausted and perhaps overwhelmed, I encourage you to try a group class - Dr. Chekroud's research may prove beneficial for you as well.  Group work and social skills are elements incorporated into every Mindful Moving Kids class, so definitely check out our class schedule to see how you can access these benefits for your children, too!