Using Yoga Therapy to Help With Inferiority Complex Everyday Health MenuNewslettersSearch Emotional Health
Using Yoga to Treat an Inferiority Complex
Yoga's flowing movements and rhythmic breathing can help you develop inner calm and peace, self-worth, and self-acceptance. By Cheryl AlkonMedically Reviewed by Allison Young, MDReviewed: March 26, 2020Medically ReviewedYoga can help you improve your self-esteem and confidence at your own pace.iStockMaybe you think of yoga — the ancient practice of uniting the body and the mind through movement — as primarily a form of exercise that involves stretching, holding poses, and wearing form-fitting clothing in a room filled with mirrors. But yoga can also serve as an effective therapy for relief from a range of mental health issues, including low self-esteem, the hallmark of inferiority complex, says Maria Sorbara Mora, RD, a certified yoga therapist in New York City. Practitioners of yoga therapy differ from many other yoga teachers by emphasizing inner awareness over physical fitness. “We say things like, ‘Open your heart and find more acceptance for yourself,’” rather than giving instructions to, say, stretch to become more flexible, or do certain poses to strengthen a muscle or change the size of a certain body part, Mora explains. Yoga therapy is also “an eye-closed practice for the whole time,” she says. That way, even in a class of dozens of people, “there’s no external competition. No one is compelled to scrutinize themselves in the mirrors that are often prevalent in a traditional exercise class, and there’s no pull to compare oneself with how others look in the same room.” This inward focus on what you’re experiencing in the present moment without judgment helps reduce feelings of shame and inadequacy, Mora explains. It also helps ease emotional distress, including anxiety, fatigue, and depression, in part, according to research published in Medical Science Monitor, by significantly lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol. “What yoga therapy can provide is an integration of the nervous system, brain, body, mind, and inner wisdom, soul, or spirit,” says Mora. “When they’re all connected in a more integrated way, the nervous system is calmer, and you can get into a space of compassion for yourself and others. That is where good self-esteem comes from.” Want to Try Using Yoga to Increase Your Self-Confidence
Choose a place to practice yoga that feels aligned with your objectives. “If you go to a yoga studio and there are mirrors all over, you may not feel better about yourself being there,” Mora says.Choose a type of yogathat emphasizes the meditative practices over demanding physical poses. One good option is traditional hatha yoga, which features gentle, slow, smooth movement paired with relaxing breathing techniques, according to Harvard Health. Another option is one of the various forms of mindful yoga, which is designed to increase awareness of your inner dialogue and use kinder, self-affirming words to uplift your mood and, over time, improve your sense of self, according to Jennifer Kreatsoulas, PhD, author of Body Mindful Yoga.Wear clothes that are comfortable and that don’t make you feel self-conscious about your body. NEWSLETTERS Sign up for our Mental Wellness Newsletter
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