Our current lifestyle has us living in a state doom and overall chronic anxiety. Amid Covid19 and social distancing, people are looking for hope, joy, or human connection only to feel anxious and uncertain at the end of the day.
Some of us are in close quarters with family members who have conflicting individual personalities or children with high demands. While others are isolated and disconnected, looking for human contact on our devices. Let’s face it, we are all living with constant survival-level stress. With heightened emotions and fear comes more judgment and shame from online communities than we are normally exposed to.
Just Breathe
Let’s focus on the positive: Yoga is one of the most powerful things you can do for your mind, body, and soul!
There are many aspects of yoga that help you reduce your worries and negative thoughts. Let’s take a minute to explore exactly how yoga, in conjunction with other holistic treatments, can reduce your anxiety and improve your mood:
Relaxation Response: Decreasing physiological arousal (reducing heart-rate/blood pressure and controlling breathing) during yoga practice can be helpful for both anxiety and depression. Practicing certain yoga poses (Asanas) elicits a relaxation response in your body allowing you to feel a sense of calm.
Mindset Reset: Meditation, breath focus, and visualization are all great ways to get out of your head and into your body. Yoga allows you to get in touch with your subconscious throughs, interrupt the negative loop, and lean into positivity.
Reduce Physical Symptoms: Anxiety causes an array of uncomfortable physical symptoms like tightness, tension, perceived difficulty breathing, and increase pain sensitivity to name a few. Hatha or Slow Flow Yoga incorporates deep relaxation with Asana poses which stretch, lengthen, and balance your muscles. This helps to reduce built-up tension and stress in your body.
Sense of Accomplishment: If you have ever participated in Yoga then you know the wonderful feeling of accomplishment that comes at the end of a class. You feel better, breathe better, and shed the weight of stress which helps with the overall mood.
Best Poses for Anxiety Relief
Yoga can be done remotely (through zoom in the comfort and privacy of your own home), doesn’t require a lot of equipment, and is adaptable for people with different levels of experience. Our Yoga Instructors want to share with you some of their favorite yoga poses for anxiety relief. Give these a whirl next time you are feeling particularly anxious.
- Big Toe Pose
- Bound Angle Pose
- Lotus Pose (to channel clean breathing)
- Cat Pose
- Cow Pose
- Extended Puppy Pose
- Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
JUNE PROMO: PAY WHAT YOU CAN YOGA PASS
Not sure how to get started? You want to look for a Hatha or Slow Flow class for anxiety. If you would prefer a class with an experienced yoga instructor Denise Semple & Associates offers yoga passes at a reasonable rate along with a variety of Zoom Yoga Class Times. Sign up for your Yoga Pass and Classes here.
