Yoga for Self-Harm: Finding Peace Through Exercise

Exercise can be a great way to let go of negative emotions and manage your self-harm urges. In particular, using yoga for self-harm prevention is beneficial as it teaches you to connect with your body and physically accept it with all its imperfections. 

Managing Self-Harm Urges with Yoga

Anyone battling depression knows how difficult it is to get out of bed sometimes, let alone exercise. However, as yoga is so gentle and relaxing, I found it required just enough energy to move when I wasn’t able to do much else. Sticking to yoga every day proved incredibly helpful when I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life.

Yoga teaches you to approach everything with love and kindness. This includes your body. Finding that spiritual, mindful connection with it stops you from treating it like a punching bag. Plus, the soreness in the muscles that you might feel the next day reminds you that you are alive.

In this video, I talk about the benefits of yoga and how it helped me stay away from self-harm. Do you also practice it? Perhaps you prefer a different form of exercise? Let me know in the comments.
 

See Also:

• Practice Mental Yoga for Anxiety: Psychological Flexibility
• What Are the Benefits of Yoga for Mental Illness Recovery?