SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — As winter settles in across Central New York, mental health experts say seasonal mood changes are common. For some Syracuse residents, yoga has become a way to cope.
On top of that, around 20% of people in Onondaga County experienced poor mental health 14 days out of the month, according to the county health department.
“Grief and any other feeling really is like a wave on the shore: Let it wash over you, let yourself experience it, but then let it go,” said Cassi Schinto, a yoga instructor and studio owner.
Multiple studies show that yoga can help improve mental health through breathing techniques, focus, physical activity, and mindfulness. It is also a way to stay active and find community.
Schinto, who has been studying yoga for over 25 years, started her own business, Cassie Schinto Holistic Wellness, four years ago.
She holds private as well as free yoga classes at a local elementary school and with the county’s parks and recreation department.
“It’s fun watching them make progress in those areas, but also watching the way that it helps them, for the children in particular, emotionally regulate,” said Schinto. “For some of the seniors in particular, to help them move through challenging and more difficult seasons of their life.”
Yoga is known to boost mental and physical health, and those who attend Schinto’s class recognize this.
“I’m a runner, and I had some pretty persistent knee pain. I don’t have it anymore because of yoga,” said Tania Anderson, who has been doing yoga with Schinto for almost a year. “And more importantly, I have found a real network of friends here that I wouldn’t have met any other way.”
Beyond physical benefits, Schinto says yoga gives participants tools to process difficult emotions and find balance, something many rely on during the long winter months in Central New York.