CREDIT: CALEIGH REID
Yoga has had a significant impact on reporter Zoë Alexandra King’s life.

Often individuals jump to conclusions when they hear the word yoga. In some cases, people believe that yoga is a religion-based practice, others may believe that it’s simply a way of stretching the body or a way to lower your stress levels by focusing on your breath. To me, yoga is all of these things combined and more. This is what led me to lead a grounded and yogic lifestyle thus far, which in turn has boosted my mental health.

In 2019, I started to dedicate my time to yoga with leading professionals in Barbados. When I moved to Canada, I took my personal practice into my own hands and was able to connect much deeper with my intuition, my body, and most importantly, my gratitude towards everything in my life.

If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you’ve probably heard the common reference that, “the intention is to take what is learned on the mat into your everyday life.” Yoga incorporates balance, movement, and focus and is intended not only for your body but also for the way you deal with situations or challenges that arrive in your life.


Boosting mental health can look different for everyone. For some, it might mean exercising more regularly, it might mean meditation, it might mean spending more time on hobbies, eating healthier, or simply just doing what your soul is craving. Making an active choice of living a yogic lifestyle is what personally boosted my mental health. Living a yogic lifestyle spoke to me because all of what it entails had my name written all over it.

These are three elements that I love about living a yogic lifestyle:

1. Personal practice

Most yogis incorporate their personal practice at the beginning of the day. I really like the saying, “From bed to mat,” to start your morning off. This has helped me create a morning routine that I’m proud of and helps me to set an intention for the day ahead of me. It also gives me a chance to deepen my practice and to move my body in a variety of different ways.

2. Healthier/cleaner diet

One of the many things that I took from my 200-hour yoga teacher training, was that the type of food you put into your body can help you feel more grounded. For example, living a yogic lifestyle means that you incorporate a lot of food from the earth to help feel more connected with your practice. Natural and unprocessed foods can promote both mental and physical health amongst many other benefits.

3. Living everyday consciously

One of the elements of yoga is breathwork or in Sanskrit, Pranayama. For me, in my meditative practices, I always incorporate the focus of the breath and while doing so, set the intention of that practice. This allows my mind to focus on whatever areas of my life I want to be more present in or conscious of. Thus, taking the philosophy of, “From mat to daily life,” I’m able to apply this practice in a variety of different ways.

Choosing to live a yogic lifestyle has boosted my mental health in more ways than one. Since making this change, I have identified how much happier I can be by simply dedicating time to the practice that I love. One of the beautiful things about yoga is that you don’t have to be this super flexible person to engage in this practice. Yoga is about acceptance of where you are in your life, in your body, and where you want to be and how you will get there.

All you have to do is make that conscious decision to attend a class and apply what you learn on the mat to your everyday life. Once you do this and make a commitment to yourself, the likelihood of your mental health enhancing, in my opinion, is high.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.