How Yoga Supports Mood, Focus & Sleep

How Yoga Supports Mood, Focus & Sleep

By Dr. Alexa Schmitz, Integrative Physician & 200 hour RYT

If there’s one practice I keep returning to—personally and professionally—it’s yoga. Not just the physical postures, but the full spectrum of what yoga offers: breath, awareness, stillness, movement, and presence.

My interest in mind body medicine stems back to my undergraduate experiences. While studying neuroscience as a major and psychology and biology as minors, I became fascinated by how deeply the brain, body, and emotions are connected. Around that time, I started attending yoga classes together at the college recreation center with my mom. At first, I saw it as a way to spend time together and stay active, but I quickly fell in love the the mental and spiritual aspects of the practice as well. That experience planted the seed for something deeper. I began to approach both my health and my future medical training with a more integrated perspective—one that included caring for the whole person. Eventually, I fulfilled a longtime dream and completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training during a summer in medical school. That experience continues to shape how I understand healing: as a harmony between mind and body.

As both a physician and longtime yoga practitioner, I’ve seen again and again how this practice can help regulate mood, sharpen focus, and support restful sleep—and modern science is finally catching up.

🌿 1. Yoga Balances the Nervous System

When we’re anxious, scattered, or stuck in a cycle of poor sleep, our nervous system is often in overdrive—sympathetic (fight-or-flight) mode.

Yoga—especially slow, mindful movement and breathwork—helps shift us into parasympathetic mode, also known as “rest and digest.” This switch can:

• Lower cortisol and adrenaline levels

• Reduce heart rate and blood pressure

• Promote feelings of calm and safety

That’s the sweet spot where healing, sleep, and mental clarity begin to return. Studies have linked regular yoga practice with lower anxiety and improved attention, even in individuals with ADHD and PTSD.

🧠 2. It Improves Focus & Cognitive Function

Yoga enhance executive function, working memory, and sustained attention. These benefits are thought to come from the combined effect of:

• Mindful movement (requiring mental presence)

• Regulated breathing (which calms the mind)

• Interoception (tuning inward, which builds self-awareness)

Clinical research has even shown that regular yoga can lead to increased gray matter in the brain, especially in areas related to emotional regulation and concentration. Yoga has even been shown to boost levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)—a key molecule for brain health, learning, and emotional regulation.

🌙 3. Yoga Prepares the Body & Mind for Restful Sleep

Certain postures and breathing practices stimulate melatonin production and reduce nighttime cortisol, setting the stage for deeper, more restorative sleep.

Yoga practices that help sleep include:

• Legs-Up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani) to ease nervous system tone

• Alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) to balance both brain hemispheres

• Gentle Yin or Restorative Yoga in the evening to wind down

Even 10 minutes before bed can shift your physiology toward restfulness and improve your sleep. A meta-analysis published in Sleep Health found that yoga significantly improved sleep quality and duration, especially in adults with insomnia or stress-related sleep issues.

💛 What the Research Says

• Yoga has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety as effectively as some conventional therapies.

• It can improve sleep quality in people with insomnia, chronic pain, or PTSD.

• In adolescents and adults with ADHD, yoga improves attention, impulse control, and mood regulation.

🪷 Final Thoughts

Yoga isn’t a quick fix—but it’s a beautiful, accessible, and research-backed practice that can complement nearly any healing path. You don’t need to be flexible. You don’t need fancy gear. You just need your breath and a little time.

Yoga isn’t just stretching—it’s a tool for mental clarity, emotional resilience, and physical balance. Whether you’re managing a busy mind, working through burnout, or just wanting better sleep, yoga can be a gentle, empowering place to start.