If panic, fear, and that feeling of unease in your stomach due to anxiety and stress is disturbing your everyday life, you probably need help overcoming it. Some people manage to do that by themselves with a little help of google, and others need medical help. It is only natural to notice the fear of the unknown striving through your body, but if it becomes an obstacle in managing your daily tasks, try looking for a yoga for stress and anxiety class.
Is yoga good for anxiety and stress?
Over the past decades, yoga has become very popular in relieving stress and overcoming symptoms of anxiety disorder. There are many benefits to practicing yoga. It not only acts as a natural stress reliever, but studies have shown it can also reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and many practitioners recommend using yoga for reducing stress and anxiety.
With so many different yoga styles, it is hard to choose which one to practice. Depending on your preference, you can practice the Hatha Yoga, which is considered to be the best choice for beginners as it is slow-paced and relatively easy to do. On the other hand, there is Vinyasa if you want to get in shape and sweat during the practice.
Benefits of yoga for stress and anxiety
- Yoga gives you a feeling of relaxation
When we feel anxious, it’s usually due to accumulated tension in our muscles, which is produced by that constant worry or fear we feel. During a yoga practice, we release the muscle tension and start to relax – ultimately, eliminating the symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. Stretching exercises, such as those promoted in yoga, help us identify the underlying physical problem, eventually making it go away.
- Yoga teaches us to breathe
When we’re anxious, we tend to breathe rapidly, vigorously trying to catch our shallow breath, which might increase our heart rate and, ultimately, our blood pressure. Our fight-or-flight system turns on, and we start having that uncomfortable feeling in our gut. Yoga is a bond between our physical and non-physical, between our body and mind – it helps unite the two. Breathing techniques yoga teaches us to be aware of every breath and helps us cope with disturbing situations by focusing only on the breath.
- Yoga promotes acceptance
Sometimes we want to run away when we feel anxious. Knowing our triggers can help us recognize situations causing the discomfort, and while it might feel frightening to face the monster, often, doctors suggest you do it. Yoga promotes acceptance in a way that you just let the feeling come and leave as it pleases.
Yoga poses for stress and anxiety
Plenty of yoga poses are proven to alleviate the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Some are a bit better than the other for that purpose. These are the best yoga poses for stress and anxiety:
Sukhasana (The Easy Pose)
just sitting comfortably, relaxed, breathing, trying to inhale deeper every time. The state of awareness in this pose helps us focus our mind on one thing – breathing.
Marjaryasana – Bitilasana (Cat and Cow pose)
this pose enables you to fully inhale and exhale while moving your body in a very slow motion.
Phalakasana (Plank Pose)
this is a bit harder pose, but it teaches us to stay strong while showing us that we can be determined and fierce in a challenging situation .
Tadasana (Mountain pose)
this is the most important pose of all because, as its name says, it teaches you to be strong like a mountain. Standing with both your feet firmly pressed into the ground, you learn to feel powerful while you imagine yourself tall and untouchable – just like the mountain. This is one of the best yoga poses for stress and anxiety.
Vriksasana (Tree Pose)
this pose is similar to the mountain pose; only this pose promotes balance through your fierceness. You learn to balance and focus while in a challenging position, in which we often find ourselves when anxiety attacks.
Garudasana (Eagle pose)
another pose promoting balance. Trying to stay calm and focused when the storm struck is not easy, and eagle pose teaches you just that – to remain calm and focused through difficult times .
Balasana (Child pose)
this is the most relaxing pose. It teaches us to relax and let go completely.
Savasana (The Corpse pose)
this is the pose where your whole body relaxes, one muscle at a time as you become aware of every part of your body. Many yogis consider this one of the best yoga asanas for stress and anxiety
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