How can yoga reduce anxiety?

When you watch someone perform a yoga pose, you probably automatically think that this person is gaining flexibility, strengthening parts of their body, and burning quite a few calories while doing it. But, millions of yoga practitioners are just as focused – if not even more so – on improving their minds and centering their souls.

Depression and anxiety can be debilitating, which is why any type of stress management can be very beneficial. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of using yoga for anxiety relief and relaxation.

Utilize Relaxation Techniques

When we’re stressed out or dealing with a high level of anxiety, it’s common for our bodies to physically constrict. This, in turn, can cause you to have more anxiety, quickly turning the problem a never-ending cycle. Yoga uses a variety of relaxation techniques that loosen up our physical tension, which can lead to the reduction of our mental tension as well.

Help Regulate Your Breathing

You’re probably already aware that a big part of yoga is regulating your breath. This is important because breathing connects us to our nervous system. Through a series of breathing exercises, you can soothe your nervous system, which will allow you to relax and shed a lot of the anxiety that you’re feeling.

Increase Your Bodily Awareness

Another essential part of yoga is becoming aware of your own body in terms of how it moves and what types of movements will give you a positive feeling. By developing a greater awareness of your body, you can lower your tension not only while you’re on the mat but also in other facets of your life. Once mastered, you’ll be able to identify tension in your body no matter where you are and then loosen it up.

Get You Out of Your Own Head

Practicing yoga for anxiety is very often linked to our worry cycles. These are the times when we basically get stuck in our own heads and keep worrying about something over and over again. Yoga poses go a long way to breaking that cycle by teaching us to let go of these worries and concentrate on our physical bodies and breathing.

Demonstrate Self-Compassion

You’ve probably noticed that at times of high anxiety, it often doesn’t take long before you start looking a bit haggard or worn out. A big reason for this is that stress often results in avoiding things that are good for us, whether it’s a solid night’s sleep, eating healthily, or exercising. By taking just a short time each day for yoga, you’ll start to care about yourself again, which can also reduce some of the stress you’re feeling.

Help Foster Self-Acceptance

Taking care of yourself is only one part of the equation. You also need to love and accept yourself, which is often difficult to do when you’re stressed out. It’s a common tenet of yoga to accept your body, abilities, and even limits so that you’re always more accepting of yourself. This doesn’t mean that you should remain stagnant and avoid growth – it simply means that you need to accept yourself in the moment so you can more easily advance.

Train You to Accept Discomfort

It may sound odd when we say that you need to accept discomfort, but it’s absolutely true. After all, it’s impossible to go through life without feeling some level of stress or anxiety at different times. You need to learn to accept a certain level of discomfort so you don’t avoid activities that you enjoy. As you might expect, by not avoiding those enjoyable activities – such as yoga, of course – this can actually reduce your level of discomfort and anxiety.

8 Yoga Poses Reduce Anxiety 

As you can see, using yoga for anxiety can be extremely effective. Most yoga poses will allow you to reduce your stress, but certain ones are often used more effectively. To get you started, we’ve chosen eight of our favorites:

  • Camel Pose — This pose is great if you’re trying to release stress because it improves circulation within your body. This translates to a better supply of oxygen, which can have a healing effect.
  • Bridge Pose — This is another pose that will help you immensely in improving circulation. It works by opening up your spine and heart, resulting in a calmer mind and less stress.
  • Butterfly Pose — The positions of this pose will effectively stretch your inner thighs and groin. This will release tension and produce a calming effect on your mind and body.
  • Seated Forward Bends — This pose concentrates on opening up your spine and the backs of your legs. It involves deep breathing, which will reduce your stress and anxiety.
  • Cat Cow Pose — This particular pose is well-known for its ability to improve your flexibility. It can decrease your anxiety level because of its ability to release tension from your spine.
  • Child’s Pose — You may already be aware that this is one of the most popular poses for relaxation and rejuvenation. In addition to the positive effects on your mind, it can relieve pain in your back and neck.
  • Bow Pose — If you’re looking for a good stretch to your upper body, then make sure you put this on your list. It can really open up your shoulders, chest, and neck, which will allow you to release tension in these spots.
  • Corpse Pose — We’ll close up this list with one of the most popular yoga poses people use to relieve stress and anxiety. Many practitioners meditate during this pose and love it for its ability to reduce the symptoms of depression.

Contact East West Healing Solutions to Learn How to Practice Yoga for Anxiety

East West Healing Solutions offers Palm Harbor yoga classes that will help you target a whole range of physical and mental issues. If you have any questions about using yoga for anxiety or would like to learn more about our healing instructors, contact us by calling (727) 216-3972. Don’t forget to check out the East West healing solutions store for the latest and greatest yoga accessories.