Why Yoga is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)? Let’s break it down. Cognitive means something to do with thinking and the mind; cognition can be described as the process of thinking. Behavioral more obviously means something to do with behavior, and therapy is something people go to in order to help heal mental and emotional problems. So cognitive behavioral therapy then, is a method of therapy that involves both thoughts and behavior. It is the examination and adjustment of one’s behavior to help change their thoughts and vice versa. The goal is to realize the connection between thoughts and actions, which also helps one to understand their emotions, and help to restructure the harmful thoughts and actions into healthy ones.
Yoga classifies as CBT because it is in itself a restructuring of behavior to alter thoughts. The behavior is the different shapes created with the body. The mind changes in yoga because the body enters a state of deep relaxation. This state is evident by the type of brain wave that occurs during/after yoga – the theta brainwave. The theta brain wave is associated with the shift from external processing to internal processing, or in other words, turning attention inwards to sensations of the body rather than the outside world.
Yoga not only allows us to relax, it also empowers us by pushing our physical limits. As one continues the practice of yoga, they get stronger and more flexible, thus breaking thought barriers around their abilities. When we begin, we may not be able to touch our toes, but as time goes on and improvement is visible, we realize that our former beliefs about our abilities are capable of change. This is cognitive restructuring. Thoughts like “I can’t touch my toes” or “I’m just not flexible” become “I can do anything with practice and effort.” Yoga empowers people to realize they can go farther and do more than previous thought.
