In our fast-paced world, the true concept of pure relaxation has nearly been lost. Most people, when they think of relaxing, think of watching television or playing video games – but these activities, although enjoyable and somewhat restful, are not truly relaxing. They are active, meaning that your brain is still working to comprehend what is going on on the screen,  and make judgments accordingly.

In order to achieve true and pure relaxation, the mind must be emptied of all distractions. In the frenetic world that we live in, chances are most people would not even be able to achieve this if they tried. We are all just so overwhelmed with sensory input all the time that most people are actually incapable of blocking it out and truly relaxing.

Luckily, there are a few things that we can use to train our brains to shut out all distractions and really, truly relax. Yoga is one of those relaxation tools. Here are four benefits that yoga carries with it as it relates to achieving a relaxed state of mind.

1. First, the physical positions of yoga trigger hormone releases that naturally battle stress.

   The physical act to be of bending and positioning your body and holding the poses creates a chemical reaction that all but forces your brain to calm itself and relax.

2. Second, yoga breathing helps to slow your resting heart rate, which makes you more relaxed.

   One of the main indicators of a relaxed state of mind is a lower heart rate. However, it is not clear whether the lower heart rate brings on the relaxed state of mind or vice versa. It is a “chicken or the egg” situation. But, by practicing yoga, you can lower your heart rate and trust that the relaxed state of mind will follow soon after.

3. Third, yoga breathing helps to deliver oxygen to your brain, making your focus and thought process clear.
   

   If you feel as if you are constantly struggling to come up with solutions to problems, then this clarity of thought should be very relaxing.

4. Fourth, yoga trains your mind to be still and empty, which fosters relaxation.

   Most people do not realize how many thoughts are running through their head at one time — and this happens all day long, every day. By slowing your mind down and truly listening to the chatter that's going on inside your head, you will begin to realize that your head-space is a much noisier place than you ever gave it credit for. Yoga helps you to quiet it down.

As you can see, by practicing yoga regularly, you create the most peaceful environment that you can for yourself — which, in and of itself, is actually relaxing — and you also do the hard work of training your brain to block out outside stimulus so that you can truly achieve relaxation in the purest sense.

What are you waiting for? Let's start yoga exercise today and relax your mind.

Michelle Nielsen believes in positivity. She writes for different blogs about self-help and positive affirmation. She is currently working closely with ConsciousInk, a company with the goal to spread positive thinking through encouragement temporary tattoos.