Modern living demands too much of us all. With so many obligations, concerns and responsibilities, anxiety turns out to be an almost inevitable evil.

Nevertheless, do not be discouraged: you can reduce this evil and achieve better quality of life by practicing Yoga. Check in this post how to reduce anxiety with Yoga.

Understand what causes anxiety

You may have noticed that, in the past, people did not suffer this much with stress, anxiety, depression and other problems of modern life. A few years ago, life used to be quieter than today.

When leaving home, we have several problems starting with traffic jam, the insecurity in the streets, work concerns and some other different activities that we have for just one day. All this excitement makes the body tense, stressed and it is easy to develop anxiety episodes.

Anxiety happens when the mind is burdened with this stimulus and do not “slow down”, consuming organic energy. It brings with itself symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, disordered thoughts, pain, tremors, and the feeling that everything will go wrong.

Therefore, to decrease anxiety is essential to maintain the quality of life, the body and mind health. A restless mind does not only affects the psychological state, but also the body, because it deregulates its functions.

Practice Yoga to decrease anxiety

There are several tools available to reduce anxiety, such as eating balanced food and not sacrificing hours of sleep. Yoga techniques, of course, are great  to decrease it.

One of the problems faced nowadays is to find time to invest in welfare. Therefore, one of the big advantages is being able to practice Yoga anywhere, since you can have a proper focus.

Yoga is based on postures that work balance and breathing. Thus, any place where you can be alone and make a brief pause is a good choice to try to reduce anxiety.

If you are in a hard day at work, for instance, there are postures that you can make in a quieter place to relax, reduce anxiety, stress and regain your concentration.

To beat insomnia, which is also one of the symptoms of this problem, you can practice Yoga at home, at the end of the day. Through the internet, you can practice it without leaving home. This is also a positive mean to decrease anxiety, since you will be totally at ease.

Concentrating in classes, the breathing techniques and focusing on your body, you may lessen this evil in a practical and effective manner.

Practice Yoga every day

To get started with yoga, exercise your breathing every day. Follow the steps below and notice the changes your body assimilates gradually:

  • Stop what you are doing and focus on your breathing
  • Inhale slowly through the nostrils to fill the lungs
  • Exhale slowly until you feel all the air away
  • Repeat the process, always slowly, concentrating on the air you breathe and in your body movement.

In addition to the breathing techniques, you may start to do some Yoga postures (asanas) that help in reducing anxiety. Some examples:

  • Marjariasana (Cat stretch pose)
  • Matsyasana (Fish pose)
  • Setubandhasana (Bridge Pose)
  • Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

Remember that the main Yoga basis is to respect your body. Therefore, if you feel any greater difficulty in performing these postures, try to practice them slowly, always considering your limits.

Did you practice Yoga to reduce anxiety? Which asanas usually do you make? If not, would you like to begin? Tell us in the comments!