Yoga can be an incredible tool when it comes to relieving stress and anxiety. More than 40 million American adults are believed to suffer from clinical anxiety disorders that affect their daily lives. Even more people are working to reduce anxiety and stress, which still affects their day-to-day interactions. It’s no surprise that people often turn to yoga to find answers on how to calm their minds.
What is stress and anxiety?
To understand how yoga can help people with anxiety and stress, it’s important to understand the disorders themselves.
Fear
Anxiety is a normal emotion that some people can get out of control. When anxiety becomes an overwhelming emotion that occurs every day and is out of proportion to the environment, it can be classified as an anxiety disorder. Have psychological effects, such as worry, tension, fear, etc. There are also physical symptoms, including tremors, sweating, irregular heartbeat, nervousness, digestive problems, and more.
emphasize
Stress, like anxiety, is a normal emotional state. However, when it becomes overwhelming or out of proportion to the circumstances, it can have a negative impact on someone’s life. When a person experiences stress, their body is in “fight or flight” mode, which means the sympathetic nervous system becomes overactive. Your body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine. This can lead to physical sensations similar to anxiety, including an upset stomach, nervousness, elevated blood pressure, and more.
How Yoga Can Relieve Stress and Anxiety
How Yoga Can Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are obviously serious conditions that can seriously affect a person’s daily life. Both disorders have their roots in an imbalance in the nervous system. Yoga can be a useful tool for relieving stress and anxiety because it balances the nervous system and regulates the HPA axis (a system that controls the release of stress hormones). It does this primarily through the benefits of pranayama (breathing), which triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing the body to trade “fight or flight” for “rest and digest”. Over time, this modulates the stress response, keeping the body more balanced and less likely to release cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in situations of overreaction.
20-Minute Yoga Flow to Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Not all yoga poses have the same benefits. In fact, there are a wide variety of yoga poses, each with unique potential for different physical and emotional benefits. When doing yoga with the goal of reducing stress and anxiety, it’s important to focus on restorative poses. It is also important to maintain pranayama (breathing) throughout the practice. If breathing becomes difficult or difficult to maintain, then it’s time to return to the resting position. The following sequence is an example of a short yoga routine that can relieve stress and anxiety.
Sukhasana – simple poses
Sukhasana – simple poses
Begin the practice with a gentle, relaxed pose, such as B. A simple pose (Sukhasana). To practice a simple pose, kneel on a mat with your knees together and your toes extended. Lean on your heels. Open your palms to your knees. Gently tuck your chin in toward the notch of your neck, relax your shoulders, and close your eyes. Inhale and exhale deeply through the nose for 10 breath cycles.
Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Dog
Begin in a simple pose with eyes open and palms firmly on the mat, shoulder-width apart. You should be on your knees now. Inhale, flex toes and lift hips. Push your back toward the downward-facing dog. In this pose, your heels can touch the mat, although they may not. Try to push evenly between your upper and lower body. Keep your neck relaxed and your head hanging heavily between your upper arms. Maybe cycle your legs here and release any tension or stiffness in each leg. Hold downward dog for 5-10 breath cycles.
Virabhadrasana II – Warrior II
Virabhadrasana II – Warrior II
Inhale from downward dog and lift your right leg back. Exhale, bend your knees, and bring your right foot straight forward, between your palms. Exhale and bring your rear (left) foot parallel to the back of the mat, bending your arms upward so that you are standing in Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II). In this pose, your front heel is aligned with the arch of your back foot. Bring your front knee over your ankle so that your knee is at a right angle. Open your hips to the side of the room. Stretch the arm back and forth in space as you lightly gaze at the front fingertips. Take 5-10 breaths here, noticing how the pose changes and opens.
Viparita Virabhadrasana – Reverse Warrior Pose
Viparita Virabhadrasana – Reverse Warrior Pose
Inhale from Warrior II pose, channeling energy through the fingertips on the back. Exhale and place the back hand on the back leg. Hands can be placed where the body is comfortable: on the thigh, above the knee, below the knee. Avoid placing your hands directly on your knees to protect your joints. Extend your forearm up over your head and gaze at your fingertips. Keep the front knee bent at 90 degrees as you build warmth and openness in this pose. Hold here for 5-10 breaths, finding length with each inhale and deepening into a gentle backbend with each exhale.
Prasarita Padottanasana – Standing forward bent pose with legs apart
Prasarita Padottanasana – Standing forward bent pose with legs apart
From Reverse Warrior, inh