Yoga offers us many tools and techniques for guiding us through our lives. It is so common for people who haven’t had the chance to do much yoga, to believe that the only benefits yoga offers are increased strength and flexibility. Of course what yoga aims to do is to “unite” the body, mind, and soul. Much of that work towards ultimate unification and peace has to do with finding the causes for our suffering. Now as yogis, we are far from psychologists. Especially as a teacher, I would never say yoga can just cure whatever ailments you have. But it does give us quite a lot of tools for exploring the roots of these different forms of unease.

One of the biggest reasons people come to the yoga practice is because they want to find relief from their stress and anxiety, and sometimes depression. Yoga can certainly aid in these things, though always remember, yoga may need to work in tandem with actual medical professionals depending on the severity of what someone might be experiencing.

So stress and anxiety. I would think there are probably few if any of us who can say we are immune to these experiences. In fact anxiety is THE most common mental disorder in the United States, affecting over 40 million adults.

Why do we have so much anxiety?

There are of course varying reasons for people experiencing stress and anxiety. It could be anything from cultural, societal, familial pressure to post traumatic stress disorder. And it can actually be genetic in some cases too! Adding on to these pressures and traumatic experiences we are trying to deal with, we also now have social media to not only constantly stress us out with what’s going on around the world, but we also have social media to routinely make us feel like we aren’t good enough. What a combo!

The good news is, anxiety is highly treatable. And the bright side of social media is that mental health issues are beginning to be de-stigmatized to a certain extent. Access to more affordable treatment via online providers or insurance companies has made access to treatment, a little better. Again, it’s not like we’re out of the woods, but hey…bright side!

Luckily there are quite a few things we can do on our own to deal with some of the everyday stressors that increase our anxiety. Yoga in general is extremely helpful in working through this…but again…it’s not a cure all. If you are experiencing more moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety or depression, be sure to seek assistance from a licensed professional. Websites/services such as BetterHealth and Talkspace are great places to start when seeking out a mental health professional that’s more affordable and accessible.

What can you do at home to help soothe symptoms of anxiety?

Pranayama is one of the pillars of the 8 limbed path of yoga as described by the great Sage, Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. In Sanskrit, “prana” translates to “vital life force” while “Yama” means to gain control.. In the simplest terms, pranayama is a practice to control the breath. The benefits can range from physical, mental, and emotional. Think about whenever you were upset as a kid…and perhaps your mom would say “just take deep breaths.” Using specific techniques in breathing help us to immediately affect the mind, which affects our energy, and finally affects our body. We take deep breath and signal to our nervous system that we aren’t in danger. our brain receives this message and we begin to feel calmer eventually. As our energy calms, our body begins to relax. This is just one very generalized example of how powerful our breath is. Though there are dozens and dozens of practices one can do with the breath to affect the energy and body in all types of ways…but let’s talk about how it can help with anxiety.

In a pretty generalized way, we experience anxiety when we feel in danger. Our nervous system receives some signals that we are not safe and puts our body into “fight or flight.” Hundreds of years ago, this was very useful if we had to run away from a lion or perhaps climb through tough terrain to find food. Our modern day stressors are pretty different but the body’s response is the same. If something makes us feel as though we aren’t ok or we are threatened, we kick into fight or flight. We can use our breath to send different messages to the brain in order to help the fight or flight response to lesson or possibly even retreat completely. Some may take longer than others, but I assure you, if you focus and use one of these practices when you are feeling anxious, it can help significantly!

My Top 3 Pranayama Suggestions:
Nadi Shodana, or Alternatie Nostril Breathing

Without getting to complex into yogic philosophy, just imagine, exactly as you have veins and arteries running through the body, you also have tons of energetic channels running through you which move prone (essential life force) around the body to be used as appropriate. The three main nadis, or energetic channels, are Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna. Ida Nadi exits the body through the left nostril and is associated with the moon, feminine energy, yin, and cooling. Pingala Nadi exits through the right nostril and is associated with the sun, masculine energy, yang, and warming. The two nadir spiral along the spine and cross over the central channel, or Sushumna. Nadi Shodhana allows us to bring both sides into balance. As we work to clear those channels and find that balance, we experience clearer thought and calmer energy.

HOW TO:

1. Find a comfortable seat upright. Sitting in a chair is fine, or up against a wall, but not laying down for this practice.

2. Allow your left hand to rest gently on the top of the thigh and let the right hand hover just in front of the face.

3. Allow the tips of your index finger and middle finger to press gently to the space between your eyebrows. Let your thumb hover over your right nostril, with the middle finger over the left.

4. Use your thumb to close the right nostril and inhale completely through the left nostril.

5. Close your left nostril using your ring finger and exhale completely out the right nostril.

6. Keeping the right nostril open, inhale again.

7. Close the right nostril with the thumb, release the left and exhale.

8. Continue in this pattern for 3-5 minutes minimum. As you get comfortable, incorporate a count to lengthen the breath. A 4 count to inhale, a 4 count to hold at the top, a 4 count on the exhale, and a 4 count at the bottom. Gradually increase the count as you get more comfortable with the practice.

Bhramari Pranayama or Bumblebee Breath

This is my favorite. This practice is named for the buzzing/humming noise made during execution. This practice helps to sooth the nervous system, release cerebral tension, lower blood pressure, help with sound sleep, and even strengthen the voice. I highly recommend this breath whenever you are feeling anxious and stressed.

HOW TO:

1. Find a comfortable, tall seat. Feel free to sit in a chair or against a wall, but do not lay down for this practice.

2. Take a few deep breath to bring yourself into the space.

3. Take your hands gently in front of your face, using your thumbs to plug your ears closed. Allow the palms and the fingers to rest completely over your closed eyes. The goal is outside sensory deprivation.

4. Close the lips keeping the teeth slightly parted. Inhale through the nose, as you exhale, emit a soft, gentle humming noise, pressing the tip of your tongue to the backs of your front teeth.

5. Allow this gentle hum to fill your ears and your head, feeling the soothing vibration.

6. Repeat for 2-5 minutes.

7. Observe the change in your energy and release the hands back to the tops of your legs and take a few more breaths with the eyes closed.

8. When you’re ready to, open the eyes!

Dirgha Pranayama or Three Part Breath

I love this practice because it really helps to find inward focus. I use this a lot when teaching yoga classes to help cultivate awareness as well as to help soothe any anxiety or stress. The big thing to remember with this one is to take breaks if you need it. The inhales and exhales can feel very long, so know that at any point if you’re running out of breath, stop, take a few regular breaths, and then try again.

1. Find a comfortable seat, preferably. Lift tall through the spine. Feel free to use a chair or sit against a wall. You may also perform this one laying down if you wish.

2. Close the eyes and take some deep breaths.

3. When you’re ready, begin to breathe low into the belly. Continue to beat in, letting the breath move and expand the ribs. Keep inhaling to move the breath into the chest and shoulders.

4. Slowly exhale first from the ribs and shoulders. Continue to exhale, allowing the breath to empty from the ribs. Release the rest of the breath out, emptying the stomach.

5. Continue like this inhale into the belly, the ribs, the chest. Exhale from the chest, the ribs, the belly.

6. If you find it difficult to bring the breath into just one area at a time, it can help the gently place your palms on the belly as you breath into it, move the hand up to the sides of the ribs, and then finally up to rest on the chest to focus the breath into those areas

7. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Just keep practicing and using the focus to calm to breath, the mind, and the body.

8. Continue for 3-5 minutes of longer if you can.

9. End with a few final natural in and out breaths. When you are ready, open the eyes.

This is just my list of my favorite practices when it comes to dealing with anxiety. There are many others out there so be open to exploring and learning new things all the time! And remember that if you’re experiencing moderate to severe anxiety, seek more assistance from a mental health professional.

Anxiety often arises because we are living in the future. We worry about “what if?” or “what WILL happen” or “what am I GOING TO do?” Yoga and pranayama specifically can help us to come back to the present moment…to live in the here and now…and worry a little less about the unknown future. Let your courage lead you, and not your fear. Everything is going to be ok.