People who suffer from anxiety can feel misunderstood since, even though it’s a condition many of us have heard of, aspects like why it happens, its symptoms, and how complex it is can still be unclear. My name is Jen Stuart and, in today’s post, we will talk about anxiety and yoga therapy.

What is anxiety?  

Anxiety is a normal and very necessary response from our body to survive a threatening situation, potentially harmful. When we feel in danger, adrenaline, which is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone, starts running through our body. Adrenaline prompts us to fight or flight when facing a stressful event. Heart rate goes faster and so does the blood flow, which makes the body enter to a state of over arousal. 

In prehistoric times, this was the type of response generated when our ancestors would encounter with a wild animal. Nowadays, even though we live in less extreme conditions than in the past, we can experience anxiety when a deadline is coming closer at work, in the middle of final exams, and during other events, that might seem inoffensive, to respond to the hectic lifestyle we live.

So we don’t only feel anxious when a traumatic event takes place, but when something triggers us emotionally and we experience high levels of fear, worries, distress, etc. It’s normal to feel like this, but when does it become a problem?

What is an anxiety disorder?  

A generalised anxiety disorder is characterised for a chronic, persistent and really intense feeling of dread, concern, and affliction that last for long periods of time. This condition is not always easy to recognise and it requires a specialist to make a formal diagnose. Some of the anxiety disorder symptoms last for longer than 6 months, such as:

• The level of concern mismatch the event that triggered it. The concern is incommensurate, especially given the circumstances. 
• An urgent need to move. People feel restless and cannot stay still.
• Chronic fatigue. A tired mind, muscular tension and insomnia can lead to feeling exhaustion.
• Irritability. People are more sensitive and react with anger. 

Our body is wise, although it can get overwhelmed due to an intense experience and get stuck in a response, needing help to move on.

Anxiety disorder and yoga  

If you are suffering from panic attacks, social anxiety, or have any other anxiety disorder, give Trauma Sensitive Yoga the chance to transform your life. A study about yoga for anxiety and its results concluded that, using Taylor’s anxiety scale, a sample of people who practiced yoga reduced their scores more significantly than the sample that used anxiolytics. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence also recommends practicing yoga exercises for anxiety relief, as well as for many other conditions since it can boost mental and physical health.

You can follow these anxiety and yoga exercises to bring your body and mind into comfort. Although medication can be positive for some patients, others might encounter Yoga for Trauma fits better their needs. Practicing yoga won’t cause you dependency and there are no restrictions to who can practice it. You can all benefit from this simple yoga movements for anxiety:

• Legs up the wall: Great to keep your blood pressure under control, improve your sleeping habits and sooth down lower back pain. Your pelvis will relax, any accumulated tension will slowly leave your body, and you will enter a state of relaxation.

• Child’s pose: This form won’t only calm your mind, but benefit your digestion. When you feel irritated often, stomach segregates more gastric juice, which prejudice your digestion. It’s a great shape to rest in and apply yoga breathing exercises for anxiety.

• Corpse form: Although it’s not physically demanding, it will require you to concentrate. Muscular tension will leave your body, pay attention to how your skeleton relaxes. Apply interoception and focus on every sensation you experience, externally and internally.