How to Use Yoga Therapy for Anxiety

Anxiety can stymie our lives in so many ways. Whether it’s a debilitating panic attack, constant worry or an all pervading fear, anxiety is often an unwanted companion that seemingly only wants the worst for us. However with the right help, guidance and support, there are a variety of techniques that can help. Of course it’s important to note that we’re all different, and what works for one person may not be as effective on another, but from personal experience, my own road to recovery led me, thankfully, to yoga therapy. After years of struggling with depression and anxiety, I moved to to South East Asia and embarked on an intense meditative practice that lasted for three years, training as a yoga teacher and becoming deeply interested in mind-body therapies. During my own personal journey, I learned that one of the challenges that so many people living with anxiety face, is the often extreme physiological response to a threat; regardless of if that threat is real, or simply perceived. We may rationally understand that there’s nothing inherently dangerous about a given situation, and that our panic and rolling fear is just our brain’s “flight or fight” response misfiring, telling us that we’re in imminent danger — but none of this knowledge makes the fear any less real. In the middle of a panic attack applying any kind of rationality is nearly impossible, and our fear response is incredibly powerful and hard to overcome without support. While my own re...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Alternative and Nutritional Supplements Anxiety and Panic Brain and Behavior Exercise & Fitness General Habits Happiness Health-related Mental Health and Wellness Mindfulness Personal Compassion Integrative Medicine Mind Body Wel Source Type: blogs