Got Anxiety? Yoga Can Help!

There’s a lot going on these days that can trigger significant anxiety! We have an ongoing pandemic. We have an upcoming presidential election that is often feeding cultural divisiveness. Our cities are experiencing protests and riots. Our forests are on fire. Our oceans are producing more hurricanes and bigger ones than normal.

It’s no wonder we are experiencing stress and anxiety! These are unprecedented times. How can yoga help? Classical, integrative yoga is meant to support you, to give you inner strength and the ability to remain calm and centered in turbulent situations.

In the US approximately 18% of the population can be diagnosed with some form of diagnosable, formal anxiety disorder at any time.  However, nearly everyone experiences generalized anxiety at different times. And these are different times!

Major symptoms of anxiety affect the body, energy, emotions, mind, and spirit.  Therefore, yoga is an excellent resource to alleviate anxiety, especially any style that integrates practices that address our bodies, our energy, our emotions, minds and our spirit. When we practice n this way, we are cultivating a state of awareness that allows us to become more objective and present.

There have been many studies on anxiety and yoga. One showed when yoga asanas were performed without breath awareness there was no improvement in the symptoms of anxiety.  However, when deep breathing was linked to the movements, there was improvement.  Another study showed that salivary cortisol levels (stress hormones) decreased after yoga classes that incorporated breath work and short meditations along with the asana practice.

Asanas - or physical movements

Asanas not only stretch tense muscles, but they massage the internal organs that are often negatively affected by stress and anxiety.  An important concept that distinguishes the practice of asana from other forms of exercise is the awareness with which the practice is done.  If the asanas are performed with loud music, rapid movements, and externalized attention the practice is no different that exercise.  Classically, asanas are meant to be accompanied by the sound of the breath, done slowly, while keeping the awareness on the sensations, thoughts and feelings generated at that moment during the practice. 

Norman Doidge, a psychiatrist who has written extensively on neuroplasticity, said in his book, “The Brain’s Way of Healing” -

“Slowness of movement is the key to awareness, and awareness is the key to learning…Slower movement leads to more subtle observation and map differentiation, so that more change is possible.”

Mapping means the brain’s ability to access different methods of learning and consolidating information to help the mind function with more efficiency, to understand relationships and connections more readily, and to improve symptoms of chronic disease.

I’ve been teaching classical yoga for over 25 years and I’ve seen how this slower style of practice has benefited my students in so many ways! I’ve also seen how this style has helped me manage chronic pain conditions, low energy states, mental stressors and kept my spirit singing.

Today, I want to share some simple practices with you that I often teach in my regular classes. You won’t be able to do these at this time, but you can listen to the instructions, visualize the practice and review the show notes later when you are able to practice.

We’ll start with a few simple asanas that are very therapeutic for releasing tensions throughout the body and especially suitable to practice when the mind is racing.  These asanas massage the adrenal glands (our stress glands) and encourage deepening of the breath.

Palm tree pose. Start by interlacing the fingers and place the hands on the head with the palms facing up. Inhale and stretch the arms as high as you can, pulling yourself up on your toes, then exhale and return to the starting position. Practice 10 times.

Swaying palm tree. Move the feet about shoulder width apart. Again, interlace the fingers and place the hands on the head with the palms up. Inhale and stretch the arms up, but don’t rise onto the toes, instead exhale and bend to one side. Inhale back to center and exhale to the other side. Inhale back to center and release the arms down with the exhale. Practice 10 times.

Moving on from these practices, do a standing forward bend slowly.  Bend the knees as much as necessary to release any back discomfort, rolling down like a rag doll, letting the arms hang.  Hold the pose for up to 10 slow, deep breaths and with each breath allow the tensions to be released with the breath.

Lie down on the floor on the abdomen and rest the forehead on folded forearms. Close the eyes and breathe deeply in and out of the abdomen.  Push the abdomen out against the floor with the inhale and repeat mentally “letting go” with each exhale.  Count at least 10 slow, deep breaths. This deep abdominal breathing triggers a relaxation response in the body.

When you are finished, notice how you feel.

Pranayama – breathing practices

Anxiety results in rapid breathing with more focus on inhalation and thoracic breathing- the belly doesn’t move.  Part of the purpose of the breathing practice from a yogic perspective is to encourage diaphragmatic breathing and to lengthen the exhalation. 

The energy body contains energy channels.  The breath is just the external manifestation of these channels. Some of the channels create extroversion and an increase in energy and some create a more introverted, calm state of mind.  The practice of nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) helps to balance both of these energies Normally when doing this form of breathing, the breath moves back and forth from one side to the other utilizing the hand.

The technique can be altered during an anxiety attack by only breathing in the left nostril and out the right repeatedly, rather than back and forth, using the fingers to block one side then the other.

Another useful technique that I teach in every one of my Yoga for Anxiety classes, is Bhramari (humming or bee breath).  This not only alleviates anxiety, but it is also good for anger. In this practice, the eyes are closed, the ears are plugged with the fingers, and after breathing in deeply, the breath is released while making a deep, humming sound. Continue humming like a bee, focusing on the sound in the center of the head behind the eyebrow center.

To learn more about this practice, see the episode from September of last year called, “What do Bees Have to do with Yoga.”

Meditation – to manage the mind

There are several meditation practices that are excellent for anxiety disorders.  Meditation helps the mind introvert and let go of what’s going on around us. It’s a bit like rebooting your computer when it’s not quite working the way you want. It doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot of time for this. There are 3 that are labeled as bonus episodes from last year’s podcasts that are available to you. These make great starting points for those who aren’t used to doing any form of meditation. They also work well as a brief “meditation break” when you need to calm down and re-center.

1. Natural Breath Awareness (about 5 min)
2. A Yoga Nap (about 10 min)
3. Antar Mouna (about 20 min)

Intentionally setting aside time for daily meditation, even 5 minutes, will help release those deeply held tensions that can be the root of anxiety.

The order I have given is the order in which the practices are done in a typical class in the style that I teach, and it is ideal for someone suffering from anxiety.  Starting with asanas there is release of the physical tensions and they begin to move the energy in a more directed and healthy way.  Following with pranayama brings the awareness more internal and focused.  Concluding with meditation work allows the mind and emotions to relax and release those deeply held patterns in the subconscious that manifest as anxiety.

Lifestyle Additional considerations

When the mind is creating anxiety, we need to look at what we are putting into our subconscious and what we are letting out. Look at your daily life and be aware of how some changes might alter your levels of anxiety.

Do you watch a lot of news?  It is filled with repetitive, sometimes unnecessary material that feeds fear and results in more stress and anxiety.  Limit how much you watch or turn it off.

Do you spend a lot of time on Facebook or other social media? Status updates and endless postings of information may result in looking outside yourself for reassurance and answers. It may make you feel inferior or angry. Remember, in yoga philosophy all of the important answers are inside you.

Do you eat a lot of processed foods?  Eating a healthy diet goes a long way in altering mood.  Anything that doesn’t ever spoil when left in the air or can be stored for weeks on end is processed. It has no prana, no life in it.  Try eating more fresh foods. Be creative. I make fresh fruit smoothies for breakfast every day. It’s fun to try different combinations of fruit. This morning it was blueberries and mango! Cook for yourself. Freshly cooked, warm foods help to soothe and calm the mind. 

Do you worry about how others behave?  Worrying about loved ones and friends can be natural up to a point.  But sometimes you need to realize what you can change and what you need to accept as it is, or let it go. Yoga philosophy advocates the only one that you can change is you. And that will normally keep you busy for a lifetime or so!

But yoga can help! Remember yoga is thousands of years of teachings and has existed through so many desperate times. But the reason it has survived is because it can relieve our suffering.