How Can Yoga Help With Anxiety - Calm Your Mind With Yoga

Yoga for anxiety

Everyone can experience a little bit of anxiety from time to time. It can be very healthy and it can also help us to feel more alive with the adrenaline that is pumping through our veins.

But when anxiety becomes overwhelming, debilitating, and persistent, it can affect your daily life in a negative way. If you are interested in learning how yoga can help reduce anxiety levels, keep reading.

How yoga improves mental health

Yoga has been used for thousands of years around the world by people suffering from various forms of physical problems such as arthritis, high blood pressure etc., but today we are seeing increasing numbers of people who are turning to yoga for help with mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression.

There are so many benefits of yoga, but the biggest in my opinion is how effective it is at improving mental health and wellbeing.

Research has shown that yoga can be an effective method of reducing anxiety and depression. According to the Alternative Medicine Review, of 35 trials addressing the effects of yoga on anxiety and stress, 25 noted a significant decrease in stress and/or anxiety symptoms when a regular yoga routine was followed.

It has also been found that meditation helps lower blood pressure levels and slows down heart rate rates during stressful times.

In addition to the physical benefits provided by yoga, there are also psychological ones too! Research shows that mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques reduce rumination which leads people not to relive negative experiences over and over again!

So, can yoga help with anxiety?

The practice of yoga can help to reduce anxiety because it can improve your breathing, which can make you feel calmer and more relaxed.

Yoga can also provide benefits like increased energy and improved mental focus. It is one of the best ways to get exercise for both mind and body due to its ability to calm stress.

This is achieved through asanas (postures), meditation exercises (which work on reducing negative thoughts), deep breathing techniques (known as pranayama) to oxygenate the blood) and yoga Nidra or yogic sleep methods that allow the practitioner's brain waves to slow down into a state of relaxation similar in some respects to hypnosis.

The science behind yoga and anxiety

The body's relaxation response (rest and digest system) can be activated via the vagus nerve. Studies have shown that yoga enables us to shift from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system (fight or flight).

When you practice yoga, it's possible to increase the amount of GABA, the brain neurotransmitter that helps to relax and control the mind. Even individuals who are going through cancer treatment report feeling less anxious after practising yoga.

Other studies have revealed that yoga can even help smokers quit smoking who have been trying for months or years.

Which yoga style is best for anxiety and depression?

Most styles of yoga are effective at relieving anxiety and depression and even improving certain types of mental health disorders. The most important thing is that you pick a style that you enjoy. With that said, below are some of my favourite styles of yoga for calming down my mind and reducing anxiety.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga focuses on postures (asanas), pranayama breathwork, meditation exercises and visualization techniques which are all beneficial for anxiety management. It also includes relaxation methods such as Savasana after each workout session.

One form of Hatha Yoga known as Gentle Hatha Flow involves gentle stretching over long periods while performing low impact moves at a slow rate—excellent for beginners!

Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Vinyasa Flow Vinyasa is a style of Yoga that involves more dynamic movements than Gentle Hatha. These moves are often performed to the rhythm of your breath, so it’s fantastic for calming anxious thoughts and helping you feel centred.

Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar Yoga places a big emphasis on correct form during asanas but uses props like belts, pillows and blocks in order to make them accessible even for people who are less flexible. This practice is great for people with anxiety because it encourages you to focus on your breathing and body alignment, which can help take the emphasis off of anxious thoughts that may otherwise creep in!

Yin Yoga

Yin yoga involves holding poses for longer than normal to really allow your body and mind to relax. Many people find the deep stretching of this style very calming, but it’s also deceptively challenging so you will feel like you are getting a great workout!.

Pranayama (yoga breathing)

Pranayama involves focusing on your breathing and making it as controlled or natural as possible. It’s a fantastic way to bring the mind back into the body because we often forget about our breath when we are anxious, which can lead to shallow chest breathing (which isn’t good for either anxiety symptoms or yoga practice). You can learn more about the best types of pranayama for anxiety and depression here.

Yoga class vs at-home practice

When it comes to improving mental health, I recommend trying out a few classes at your local yoga studio because it can encourage connection which can help to boost self-esteem.

But if you don't like the idea of practising with groups or in front of others, you can always opt for private lessons or practice at home. There are some great teachers on YouTube such as Yoga with Adriene or Yoga with Tim which offer some great yoga routines to follow along to.

No matter where you choose to do yoga, make sure that you are consistent to get the most out of the practice. Having a set routine to follow each week can help to add some much-needed stability and something to look forward to in your day.

How does yoga get rid of stress and anxiety?

Yoga is a highly effective way of reducing anxiety for a number of reasons. First, yoga focuses on breathing. The act of focusing on your breath is very calming and can slow down the thoughts in your mind so that you are no longer worried about what might happen next or consumed by anxious emotions like fear or dread.

Yoga is also a great way to increase flexibility which reduces tension throughout the body. When we hold onto stress it tends to manifest itself in our bodies as muscle tightness; this makes us feel tense and uncomfortable physically but also affects our mood because when we're stressed out all over it's hard for us to relax completely.

Lastly, yoga can help us to be present. When we are consumed by anxiety or fear about the future, our mind seems to jump ahead and imagine all of the things that could go wrong in a situation. Yoga allows us to step out of this negative self-talk and focus on what is happening right now instead of worrying about what might happen next.

Yoga also offers heaps of benefits for your physical health as well because it improves strength, flexibility, coordination, endurance, reduces fatigue while increasing energy levels so you have more vitality throughout each day.

Can yoga increase anxiety?

In some cases, yes. I know that might sound weird but hear me out. Yoga isn't a quick fix to relieving anxiety or any other mental state for that matter. It can take weeks or months to see the benefits of a regular yoga practice.

When you first start your practice, you might find your mind racing when sitting in silence at the beginning or end of your yoga practice. Especially if you aren't used to confronting your thoughts or have been using crutches like drugs, alcohol or even overworking to avoid facing any anxious or overwhelming thoughts.

After some time you will find that you will be able to become more comfortable with your thoughts and feelings, positive and negative, and this in itself is a skill that you will begin o develop if you stick at your practice long enough.

So don't worry if you find that your first yoga session or two doesn't ease your anxiety, or you find that your anxiety increases. That's completely normal.

The wrap-up

If you’re experiencing anxiety and want to explore a natural alternative, consider giving yoga a try. Yoga is has been shown to be highly effective at relieving stress and improving mental health. It can also help relieve symptoms of depression, PTSD, chronic pain conditions, backache, insomnia, headaches and migraines.

With so many benefits to this ancient practice, there’s no reason not to give a shot for yourself and see the changes in your health for yourself!