International Yoga Day 2025: Yoga Vs Gym - What Works Better For Mental Health ?

As International Yoga Day 2025 approaches on June 21, a major conversation is heating up. This year’s theme, “Yoga for One Earth, One Health,” puts mental health and environmental wellness at the centre. But many often wonder what actually works better, yoga or gym workouts?

New research says both help, but yoga may have a slight edge, especially when it comes to reducing stress and boosting inner peace.

International Yoga Day 2025: Yoga For Mental Health

A review published by LiebertPub and PubMed shows that yoga can be just as good, or even better, than gym workouts for mental wellness. It helps ease anxiety, lifts self-esteem, and reduces fatigue. A clinical study comparing hatha yoga and weight training found yoga was more effective at building self-worth and cutting down exhaustion. Both methods helped with depression, but yoga had more emotional benefits.

Experts say the reason lies in how yoga works. It’s not just movement, it’s a combo of breathing, mindfulness, and stillness. Dispur Polyclinic Hospitals found that stress levels dropped by 60% within eight weeks of regular yoga practice. Harvard Health also noted that yoga helps strengthen brain areas tied to memory and emotion.

A separate study from Massachusetts General Hospital, reported by Vogue, showed that hot yoga helped cut symptoms of depression by half. Clearly, yoga is doing more than improving posture; it’s reshaping the mind too.

Gym Workouts Help, But Yoga Hits Deeper

That doesn’t mean the gym is useless. Gym activities like running, weightlifting, or cycling release endorphins, which naturally lift your mood. A huge review from Lancet Psychiatry found that people who exercised moderately for 45 minutes, three to five times a week, had fewer days of poor mental health.

Gym workouts also improve brain plasticity, helping with focus and resilience. But yoga takes it further with emotional awareness. One Harvard Health study said yoga had longer-lasting results than massage, music, or relaxation therapy for dealing with anxiety and depression.

So what’s better? For many, the answer is both. Use the gym for energy and strength, and yoga for calm and clarity. Mixing the two might give you the best of both worlds.

International Yoga Day 2025 isn’t just about fitness. It’s about how our mental peace connects to global health. The theme encourages everyone to take care of both their minds and the planet.