Meditation and Yoga to Control Your Anxiety

Last Updated: November 1, 2023

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Did you know?

According to WHO, 301 million people in the world had an anxiety disorder in 2019, and around 4% of the global population is currently experiencing an anxiety disorder.

What does anxiety mean?

Anxiety is a common form of mental illness that is characterized by a sense of worry, panic, uneasiness, and fear about anything. Everyone experiences anxiety at least once in their lifetime. Anxiety levels range from mild to severe. People with anxiety experience restlessness, heart palpitation, loss of concentration, sleeping problems, and so on. Women and adults aged 35 years and above are more likely to experience anxiety. Long-term anxiety can cause depression, heart problems, insomnia, difficulty breathing, and many other serious health consequences. However, on a positive note, anxiety is manageable and it can be prevented without high medical costs.

How is yoga related to anxiety?

Yoga is basically a spiritual practice that aims to achieve harmony between the mind and body through a very subtle science and Meditation refers to reaching a calm mental or physical condition. Inner peace and stress relief can be achieved through various relaxation and meditation practices. You may take back control of your thoughts and feelings with the aid of meditation. Regular meditation practice teaches you to become aware of your thoughts without becoming consumed by them. This awareness enables you to identify and disrupt the negative thought patterns that are frequently the root cause of anxiety.

Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that meditation lowers activity in the amygdala, a little brain nucleus shaped like an almond, and a component of the limbic system that processes emotions like fear. Reduced sensitivity to stresses and anxiety triggers may result from this. Mindfulness meditation is one of the most widely used meditation methods for anxiety. This can help counteract anxious thoughts and bring your attention to the bodily symptoms of anxiety, like fast heartbeat or shallow breathing.

What do yoga and meditation do to our body?

Performing yoga and meditation enables specific neurotransmitters to be released from the brain, which improves emotions of well-being, concentration, and inner serenity. Dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are a few neurotransmitters that are released during meditation. The neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in the brain's capacity for focus, reward, and pleasure. It controls mood and sleep patterns as well. Chemical messages are transmitted between the brain and nervous system by GABA. One of its functions is to regulate sensations of fear and anxiety by suppressing nerve cell activity, particularly when neurons become overexcited. Anxiety, racing thoughts, and insomnia are symptoms of a GABA deficit.

Serotonin reduces stress and promotes relaxation and focus by easing tension and calming the body. Anxiety, migraines, exhaustion, insomnia, bipolar disorder, apathy, and feelings of worthlessness are all linked to lower serotonin levels. In the brain, endorphins are chemical signals that have various functions pertaining to pain and well-being. They lessen stress, lessen pain perception, and lessen pain feelings. All of these neurotransmitters are simultaneously released during meditation, which can reduce stress and improve mood without having any negative side effects. Stress relief medications are not able to accomplish this.

Benefits of yoga in controlling anxiety:

1. Yoga teaches you to slow down your breathing and helps you to relax when you go through anxiety attacks.
2. Yoga and meditation help to release hormones in your body which uplifts your mood and reduces stress.
3. When you’re having an anxiety attack, your neurons get over-excited, that’s when yoga and meditation enable a few neurotransmitters that control the fear and anxiety within you.
4. Meditation and yoga calm you down by slowing your heart rate and breathing frequency.
5. Makes your muscles more flexible, and stronger, and improves your posture while also relieving and relaxing tense or tense muscle pain.
6. It will make you improve yourself day by day and will inject the realization of self-love into you.
7. It improves your sleep.

Some yoga positions to speed up anxiety management

Before trying any positions, the first thing you need to learn is the breathing technique. Although it sounds pretty easy and doable, there are a few techniques for inhaling and exhaling air. It’s one of the quickest and most convenient way to control your anxiety.

1. Clamp Posture: While standing, bend your body until your hands are resting on the floor, or on your legs.
2. 90-degree posture:  Place your butt against the wall and lift your legs so that your body forms a 90-degree angle and your legs are fully supported.
3. Corpse Posture: Bend forward. Lay flat on your back, chin close to your chest, feet a little out from your body, and arms resting along your body.
4. A child-like posture:  Place your heels on your knees and place your forehead on the ground. Put your arms in front of you or around your torso.
5. Candle Posture: Assume you're lying down and expand your legs until your body forms a straight line. To exert more pressure on yourself, place your hands on your back.

 

Yoga positions aren’t limited to these. There are multiple other posture that helps you relax and feel the best of yourself.

Conclusion

A balanced, peaceful, and tranquil state of mind can be attained through meditation, which is beneficial to one's general health and well-being. People who meditate can get rid of the information overload that accumulates and makes them more stressed. Chronic illness symptoms, such as those of high blood pressure, depression, heart disease, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and other ailments, can also be managed with meditation.

Complying with different other positions in yoga and meditation helps you to connect with your inner self which is one of the fastest ways to calm yourself down. Having said that, it is essential to understand that there is no "perfect" meditation session or method for approaching meditation that is right or wrong. People should be aware of the ways in which meditation can enhance their well-being and help them manage stress. Everyone is made differently and finding your own comfort approach matters the most.