In this article we are not going to focus on what yoga means, or where it comes from, or even yoga postures. In this article we are going to focus on how yoga can benefit you against anxiety.
Why can yoga help you calm anxiety?
Yoga helps us understand our body and mind, control them, and synchronize them, making it a great tool against anxiety. Anxiety arises when we feel out of control. When we feel out of control, we become "weak," and that's when anxiety strikes. It affects each person differently, but they all have one thing in common: fear.
Breathing, a powerful yoga tool against anxiety
Whether rational or irrational, fear is what makes us anxious—the fear of an unknown situation, a situation out of control. When this happens, our brain speeds up, and so does our body. We lose control of our breathing, whether consciously or unconsciously. We begin to breathe less when our brain needs more oxygen to work, especially at that moment when our brain is racing, thus causing the "collapse" and "explosion" of anxiety.
Body awareness to combat stress and anxiety
In yoga we learn to be aware of our body, of every movement, of every breath, turning it into a habit, like when we learn to ride a bicycle. When we learn to ride a bicycle, we learn to control the direction of the handlebars and the speed, since there must be synchronization between the two, because if one of them fails, we fall. Yoga teaches us precisely that, to know how to control... not the bicycle... but our body, to learn to breathe correctly, to be aware of our body and "know how to handle it."
So... does yoga help with anxiety? Yes, yoga is a tool that helps us combat it, keep it at bay. Anxiety will always be there, but with yoga, we'll learn how to keep it under control and how to combat it. Over time, it will be like riding a bicycle: we won't think about how to control it; we'll control it unconsciously, helping us overcome it.
What if you dare to practice yoga and relieve your anxiety?
As a Sincronia Yoga teacher once told me: Anxiety is cyclical, it always comes back, but now we will have something to fight it with.
Would you like to try it? We invite you to come to a class and try it out. If you've never practiced before, you can start with a gentle Yin Yoga class, or restorative yoga, where you will connect with your body and mind in a gentle and relaxed way.
If you want to go even a step further, you can also take care of your mental health by working on yoga, along with sessions of PsychotherapyBoth tools will help you be more present, connected to your breathing, and keep anxiety under control.
If you still have doubts about whether it will help you or not, come and experience it for yourself to see how you feel before the class and after it. At Sincronia Yoga we have different styles and many schedules so you can find the one that best suits you, if you don't know which one to choose ask us and we will be happy to help you.
Article written by Sílvia Gallego
Yoga teacher and writer
