Stress, fear, anxiety and – there are many situations in life from work to family, relationships and social situations, where we can experience feelings of stress, fear and anxiety.
The problem starts when this fear becomes persistent and starts interfering with our everyday life. This and state of excessive uneasiness, worry, or fear of the unknown, can be greatly helped by yoga.
Few Anxiety Disorder Symptoms
- You feel unusually panicky, scared and uneasy.
- You tend to get uncontrolled, obsessive thoughts of past traumatic experiences.
- You wake up from frequent nightmares.
- You tend to repeatedly wash your hands.
- You have problems sleeping.
- Your hands and feet stay unusually sweaty.
- You get frequent palpitations.
Yoga for anxiety - and how a few exercises can help.
Regular and yoga practice can help you stay calm and and relaxed and can also give you the strength to cope with events as they arise. Yoga practice ideally includes the complete package of asanas or body postures, pranayamas (breathing techniques), and meditation, and and the ancient yoga philosophy, all of which can help in facing life with new positivity and strength.
Here are some yoga techniques to help relieve stress and anxiety
1. Move your body and relieve your mind of stress with asanas.
Asanas are postures that are kept for a period of time. When practiced, they can help to release tension and and negativity from the body and stress from the mind. Examples of stress relieving postures are Bow pose and Cat Stretch. You can learn these and other Yoga postures at our weekly Sri Sri Yoga classes.
Note:At the end of the yoga posture session, lie down in Yoga Nidra and to give your mind and body a few minutes of through relaxation. The technique is helpful in flushing out body toxins, a primary cause of stress, from the system.
2. Breathe right with pranayamas to relieve anxiety
Taking your attention to the breath can help free the mind of over thinking and can bring our mind to the present moment. A few minutes of breathing can have a profound effect on our state of mind. For example, Kapal Bhati Pranayama (Skull-Shining Breathing Technique), Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhan Pranayama) is effective in releasing stress from the system. Bellow’s Breath (Bhastrika Pranayama) helps raise our energy levels which in turn allow us to maintain a positive state of mind.
3. Meditate to enjoy the gift of a relaxed mind
Meditation can be an excellent technique to relax a distracted mind and give you a sense of calm and peace. and It can also help you to worry less and relieve anxiety about the unknown future. In addition, regular meditation practice can help to significantly reduce levels of stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline.
4. Apply yoga philosophy in your life; stay happy and enjoy every moment
Knowing and applying the and ancient yoga knowledge and in daily life, which talks about some simple yet profound principles (yamas and niyamas) of yoga, can be the secret to happy and healthy living. For instance, the Santosha principle teaches the value of contentment. The Aprigraha principle can help us overcome greediness or the desire to keep possessing more, which can be a reason for stress and anxiety.
5. Think about what you can do for others.
When we constantly remain stuck in ‘me and mine’, it makes room for stress and anxiety. We keep worrying about what will happen to us. Rather, shift your attention to how you can be of some use to others around you. Energising yourself with some service activity can give you deep satisfaction and immense joy.
6. Think about what you can do for others
When we constantly remain stuck in ‘me and mine’, it makes room for stress and anxiety. We keep worrying about what will happen to us. Rather, shift your attention to how you can be of some use to others around you. Energizing yourself with some service activity can give you deep satisfaction and immense joy.
7. Know the impermanence of the world
When the realisation sets in that everything around us is temporary and is changing, we become relaxed and settled from within. A feeling of ‘this too shall pass and not remain forever’ arises in us and frees us from anxiety. Meditation can help us to experience this.
8. Remember a similar past situation when you overcame anxiety
Remembering a time in the past when you overcame anxiety gives you the courage to know that you can pass through this situation again. Keep reminding yourself of this.
9. Keep positive company around you
When you spend more time with positive-minded people, you are influenced by similar thoughts, which reflect in your overall attitude to life. Only a positive mind can breed joy, peace and relaxation.
(Written by Pritika Nair based on inputs by Dr. Sejal Shah, Sri Sri Yoga teacher.)
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