How to keep smiling even when you can't breathe..four self-directed tools that can offer instant relief
These four self-directed yogic tools can all offer instant relief for those experiencing anxiety:
2) Relax your body
Look for areas of tension and soften those muscles. Soften your eyes deep into their sockets. Relax the tiny muscles around your eyes. Smooth out the skin across the forehead, bridge of the nose, and cheekbones. Then move from the tips of your toes to the crown of your head, methodically relaxing every part of your body. Pay particular attention to where anxiety tends to settle, perhaps in the stomach or throat. Once you become aware of the tendency, you have the ability to reverse it.
Why not try my yoga videos to see for yourself the benefits of yoga.
Yoga Tools
1) Breathe Deeply
It is physiologically impossible to be anxious while inhaling and exhaling deeply. Think about it. How do you breathe when you are sobbing and upset? How do you respond to a shocking surprise? What does it mean to "wait with bated breath"? Each of our emotions is directly related to the way in which we breathe. One way to calm a racing mind is to change the nature of our breath. Inhale for a count of four. Exhale for a count of four. Focus your mind on this eight-second count and watch your anxiety subside.
3) Practice yoga postures
The ancient yogis were masters at using the body to affect their mind. In our western compartmentalisation of physical illness, we've distanced ourselves from this mind-body connection. For example, if I ask you to 'get angry' for no reason at all, you might clench your teeth, furrow the brow, or make fists with your hands. This instantly impacts your mood, and not in a good way. Conversely, you can soften your jaw and relax your fingers to encourage a state of calmness.
If you have a legitimate concern , if you've received upsetting news or are faced with a difficult situation, consider what you can do about it, right now. If there is something, then take action. If there is nothing, then don't waste your energy fretting unproductively. Begin to formulate a game plan, a solution; and let yoga be your guide.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), anxiety ranks high on the list of most common mental health disorders worldwide, second only to depression - and rates continue to escalate. Between 1990 and 2013, the number of people suffering from depression and anxiety increased by nearly 50%, from 416 million to 615 million worldwide, with over 5 million cases of anxiety disorder in the UK population alone. In 2014 19.7% of people aged 16 years or over showed symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Although not comfortable, the physiological response to stress that we typically associate with anxiety - sweaty palms, increased heart rate, a burst of adrenaline - serves a purpose in human evolution, a swift reflex can be life-saving in threatening situations. But when those same defence mechanisms don't subside as the treat of danger recedes, they can wreak havoc on our overall health and wellbeing.
For some, anxiety manifests as a throat-restricting, gut-wrenching feeling that makes breathing impossible and functioning even less so. You can find yourself lying in bed trying to sleep, with a disobedient mind racing from point A to B and back agin like wild bees circling a hive. It's not a fun place to be!
But the good news is that just as easily as your mind can go off the deep end, you can reel it back in. That's where yoga comes in.
Current research has shown the positive impact of yoga and other holistic modalities on wellbeing. Increasing numbers of health practitioners are incorporating these tools into their practice, with positive results.
Source: OM yoga magazine, September 2017, Eryn Kirkwood
Banish anxiety with yoga
4) Disciplining the mind
Remember that fear and faith cannot co-exist. Choose one. Choose faith. If you are confident that "things will work out", then there is no room to worry about the outcome. The human mind can only focus on one thing at a time; if you harbour thoughts that provoke anxiety, you won't enjoy peace of mind.
Each passing moment presents an opportunity to choose between fear and faith. If worry has taken your brain hostage, somewhere along the way you've lost faith. Reconnect with your spiritual nature through journaling, prayer, uplifting reading, meditation, or yoga.