5 Great Ways to Stop Anxiety

Practicing yoga can be an effective way to ease the symptoms of anxiety. By transferring your focus to the body and breath, yoga can help to calm the mind while also releasing physical tension. It will help your entire system to slow down for the duration of the practice, and commonly the effects will last for hours after.

Yoga works on the premise that the human body is comprised of energy centers and meridians that need to be stimulated to relieve the system of negative emotion and blocked energy. It is believed that this is why we feel rejuvenated and relieved after doing yoga.

Yoga is an ideal form of exercise that melds the body, mind, and spirit. It promotes good health, a positive self-image, and teaches relaxation.

So a nice example of some basic yoga to get you started is a sitting pose. It involves sitting cross-legged on the floor with a cushion, and your back straight. You can rest your hands on your knees (palms up or down), or put them together above your head (as in the image to the right).

Consciously breathe deeply and evenly in a ratio of 5:5:5 (inhalation, retention, and exhalation). You could time this to a clock or a metronome if you like.

Breathe evenly like this for several minutes then consciously think about the various parts of your body starting from your toes, then up through your ankles, calves, knees, thighs, buttocks, abdomen, fingers, hands, arms, shoulders, chest, neck, face, and the crown of your head.

Concentrate on them for about a minute each and notice any sensations you get from them.

The breathing used in yoga greatly contributes to a state of calm. This results in a mind-body connection that has far-reaching effects. There are many yoga poses that can be of help individually, but a more integrated, regular yoga practice, with the inclusion of meditation, can release the unhealthy attachments we have to our worries, problems, or fears.

A Further Recommended Yoga Practice

Try these poses as best you can, but never strain or cause yourself pain. It takes time, but with practice it will get easier.

Forward fold

Hold the pose for two minutes or more.

Cobra

Expands the chest, giving elasticity to the lungs.

Bridge

Strengthens the legs, opens the chest, and stimulates the abdominal organs, lungs, and thyroid.

All these, and many more effective yoga poses, are covered in greater detail in our guide: ‘Meditation & Yoga for Beginners’, which is included in our Expert-Help Pack: How to Crush Anxiety... Completely! Professional guidance to get you back to yourself again.