5 Healthy Ways Yoga Eases The Pain Of Any Breakup

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Going through a breakup is such an awful process. It’s normal to feel rejected, broken and hurt … to feel mean, heartless or cruel … or anywhere in between. Or even to go back and forth between several different types of emotions. When something big happens in our lives, it puts everything into perspective – you begin to look at the Big Picture of your life, and then the assessment begins.

It’s an understatement to say that the mind gets pretty busy.

Here are 5 ways that yoga can help you get through a breakup when all you want to do is to hide from the world.

1. Physical exercise makes you feel better

Study after study has shown that movement improves the function of every single system in the body. Simple movement releases endorphins (feel good chemicals) in your brain. Practicing yoga increases blood, which flow moves lymphatic fluid along, which allows your immune system to function properly. When you feel good physically, the rest of your emotional and mental health gets a natural boost.

2. Meditation helps to clear thoughts

Let’s face it, when you’re going through a breakup, you tend to have an ongoing dialogue in your mind from retelling conversations to imagining what you would say, or what you would change. Meditation helps you to become aware of the thoughts in your mind, which helps you to see how rational those thoughts really are. Painful? Perhaps – but sometimes the truth can be … reflection is okay, but obsession isn’t.

3. Breath-work teaches you how to be calm

Breath is life. Take a moment to notice how you’re breathing right now. Chances are your head is bowed down in order to read this and your breath is quite shallow. Sit up straight, right now, and take a deep breath. Relax your belly and take another deep breath. Take one more, and then hold the breath letting go when your body says so.
Notice how you feel …

4. Language of your body

The physical poses, or asanas, of yoga were designed thousands of years ago. These poses access each level of consciousness of your being – Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual. When you enter each pose knowing this, you can tune into the deep language of your body. We hold onto experiences and trauma and these things can actually manifest in your body physically. That’s why when you go through a breakup your heart literally hurts. Sometimes it can be hard to breathe. When you honour what emotions you’re feeling in each pose, you allow them to manifest in a healthy way, rather than suppressing them.

5. Yoga helps you to accept what is.

When you begin to tune into the language of your body and your emotions, everything becomes clear. When you can break down what you’re feeling into clear, manageable pieces, the entirety of the circumstance becomes much less daunting. You begin to feel clear on what you’re feeling, and you give yourself the gift of acceptance. And Acceptance, my dear, is Everything.

Going through a breakup is extremely unpleasant, but when you are able to immerse yourself in the feelings you’re having, and are able to get past the running commentary in your mind … you can find peace again. The act of self nurturing not only helps you get over your pain, it also prevents a common affliction of a break up, which is the tendency to self destruct. Through the practices of yoga, life can be lived to the fullest – one breath at a time.