Yoga for anxiety

One way to aid with reducing apprehension is through the means of yoga. Here’s a few of my favorite poses to steady your emotional roller coaster:

We each get anxiety in one form or another. How it manifests itself is different in every individual. With some people this emotion can become the center of his or her life. Being able to identify the first signs of high end worry manifesting its ugly head can aid in being able to cope with it in a healthy manner. One way to aid with reducing apprehension is through the means of yoga.

Here’s a few of my favorite poses to steady your emotional roller coaster:

1.     Cat (Marjaryasana)/ cow (Bitilasana) Pose: For this pose, you will want to start on your hands and knees, fingers facing the front of your yoga mat, and knees directly under your hips. You will want to soften your gaze to help your facial muscles relax. Allow your head to fall into a neutral position to avoid overstretching it. Take a deep breath in through your nose and arch your back as you allow your stomach to fall towards the ground as you begin to come into cow pose. From here, you will want to slightly lift your chest and chin so that you can look up toward the sky. Relax your shoulder blades back away from your ears. To move into Cat Pose, exhale, gently pulling your stomach toward your spine, while rounding your back toward the sky. Let your top of your head gaze toward the ground. A preferred method is to repeat this sequence 3-5 times.

2.     Balasana or Child’s Pose: Once again, begin on your hands and knees. Allow your knees to fall a little larger than the width of your hips. Keep your big toes touching each other. Gently push toward the back of your mat so that your buttocks touches your heels. Allow your arms to either fall toward the front of your mat (palms facing down), or along the lines outside of your legs and feet (palms facing up). Let your forehead rest upon your mat. Allow yourself to breathe in deeply. As you breathe in, let your stomach fall out. As you breathe out, let your stomach come in toward your spine. For me, keeping my eyes closed helps tremendously with stress reduction within this pose.

*If you have tight hips, you may want to allow your knees and thighs to stay together and only push back as far as you can without strain. Remember, these poses are meant to relax you, not to show off with.

3.     Adho Mukha Svanasana or Down Dog: Moving from all fours, tuck your toes under, reach your hips toward the sky and press backwards. If you can maintain a straight back while pushing your heels toward the ground, feel free. Let your shoulders relax toward your mat as you unwind your head and neck.

4.     Vrksasana or Tree Pose: This is a balance pose, so when beginning, you may want to utilize a wall to help steady you. A focus point is also essential throughout this pose. Come into proper standing posture with both feet parallel a few inches apart from each other. Shift your weight onto your right leg, bending your left knee as you gently pull it in toward your chest. From here, hug your shin with your hands and bring your knee toward the inside of your right thigh. Allow your knee to fall open, away from your body. Make sure to press with your right foot into the ground and your left foot into your thigh. Now, switch legs.

5.     Savasana or Corpse Pose (especially with guided meditation): This is probably the most well-known yoga pose. Simply lie down on your back. With your legs hip width apart, begin to let them fall out comfortably to their respective sides. Relax your arms out to their respective sides, a little bit away from your body. Allow your palms to face up toward the sky. Close your eyes.

Please note that it is essential to have proper ailment when exploring these poses (don’t allow your body to become drawn to flexibility over posture). It is also important to make sure that the pose won’t compromise any prior medical conditions or injuries. If you decide to try specific inversions, avoid them if you are female while experiencing your menstrual cycle. One last tip: throughout each pose make sure that you are breathing properly, as described in child’s pose. I encourage each of you to check with a certified yoga instructor to make sure your technique is proper.

Alternate nostril breathing is also a wonderful tool to aid with steadying one’s quick paced breath. To do this, you can be lying down or siting. Personally, I prefer sitting. Take your right thumb over your right nostril, breathing in deeply through your left nostril. Remove your thumb and place your right ring finger over your left nostril as you exhale through your right nostril. Inhale through your right nostril and follow the pattern outlined above to continue your breathe work.

Different things work for different people. If yoga and breathe work aren’t your thing, there are a multitude of other options. You can purchase a stress ball, talk out your fears, exercise, or utilize a journal. Stand in a confident pose, stating a mantra such as “I’ve got this,” or “I know I can do this”. Keep busy to reduce any incidences of future tripping, or dwelling.