Can Yoga help with Anxiety?

tree pose

If you live in the city, you will have a level of anxiety. City dwellers are in sympathetic overdrive most of the time – rushing to work, stuck in traffic, abuse by other commuters, work deadlines and the list goes on. A regular yoga practice can help alleviate feeling of stress and anxiety. Taking the time out each day for some ‘me’ time, will allow your body and mind to reset. This article will cover the many components of yoga that can help you settle feelings of anxiety and other negative emotions.

Upward facing dog

Movement

Exercise in general, improves your physical and mental health. The combination of strength and stretching in yoga will increase your stamina but the difference in yoga compared with other forms of exercise, is that it is linked with your breath. This is a very powerful technique of calming the nervous system. In addition, as concentration is often required, your mind stops the chatter that causes anxiety. You come to the present moment and see things as they really are. A meta-analysis of 17 studies found Hatha yoga to be effective in reducing anxiety(1). Effectiveness was associated with the total number of hours practiced. Some other studies did not find such a clear correlation with anxiety. The level of anxiety can be so varied amongst different individuals, a personalized approach is best.

If you are a beginner in yoga, start with the simple poses and try to link your breath with the movement as instructed. That is the secret to getting the most out of your yoga practice.

Table top and cow pose

Basic poses that can help alleviate anxiety

Alternating Cat and Cow poses

Start in table top position on all fours. Your hands should be placed at the same width as your shoulders and arm straight, perpendicular to the floor. The knees are directly below the hips and at the same distance apart. the thighs should be perpendicular to the floor. Inhale, face forwards, expanding the chest towards the ceiling and dropping the belly towards the floor to cow pose. Exhale, rounding the back like an angry cat, flex the neck, bringing your chin towards the chest and look down to cat pose. Inhale moving back to cow pose and repeat 5 rounds. Once you get the rhythm, start to extend the length of your exhale to be twice as long as your inhale(eg. Inhale to cow for 2 counts, exhale to cat for 4 counts).

Baddhakonasana

Bound Angle Pose (Baddhakonasana)

To get into this pose, sit upright and bend the legs so that the knees come up, then open up the hips so that the knees move away from each other toward the floor. Place the soles of the feet together, facing each other. Allow the hips to open up comfortably – don’t force the knees towards the ground. Open up your chest and inhale for 3 counts, exhale for 6 counts. Take 5 rounds of breathing and notice the stillness of the mind with this pose.

child's pose

Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Sit on your calves and inhale. stretch the arms in front along the ground as you fold forwards until the face is against the mat. Take 5 slow breaths. This is a resting pose that stretches and lengthens the spine, relieving any strain on the back and neck. It has a calming effect on the mind as the body is relaxed. It can melt away feelings of anxiety.The hips, thighs and ankles are gently stretched. The arms can be stretched out in front or placed on either side of the body.

Utthita Trikonasana

Other poses that help reduce anxiety include:

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

Staff pose (Dandasana)

Extended Triangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana)

Camel pose (Ustrasana)

Legs up the wall pose (Viparita Karani)

Fish pose (Matsyasana)

Meditation

Pranayama and Meditation

The use of breathing techniques such as Alternate Nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) and meditation techniques to clear the mind can do wonders to reduce anxiety. Both of these can be done on their own or following an asana practice. ISHTA Kriya meditation is a more complete meditation that can benefit both physical and mental health issues – contact us if you think you can be helped with a personalized yoga and meditation program.