Yoga against anxiety

Yoga against anxiety

Yoga for harmonization and calming

Yoga - the third path from my series "7 natural ways against anxiety"

Yoga is especially good for calming our nervous system. By consciously noticing our breathing and concentrating on the specific movements, we begin to relax and we learn to develop a deeper awareness of ourselves. All this teaches us to “let go”, relieve stress and anxiety can become less and less.

Today I will introduce you to a few simple exercises, so-called “asanas”, which do not require much prior knowledge.

 

Tree pose - Vrikasana

“Vrikasana”, the tree pose, is an excellent posture to relieve stress and anxiety, as it requires grounding and concentration. 

Get into a stable stance, find an object in the distance to focus on, this way it is easier to find balance. Now shift your weight onto one foot until you can lift the other off the ground. Now walk your foot up the inside of your standing leg.

You can of course hold on to a wall at the beginning until you find your balance. To gain stability, press your thigh against your foot while tensing your gluteal muscles. Now pay attention to your breath, with each exhalation let go of everything.

After you have done well on one side, now practice the tree on the other side.

You will find that you have better balance on one side.

 

"Yoga is a light which once lit will never dim,
the better your practice the brighter your flame"
B. K. S. Iyengar

Standing forward bend - Uttanasana

With this yoga exercise you can “really let yourself hang” and relax body and mind. 

From a standing position, with an exhalation, slowly bend your upper body forward, down over your thighs. Try to relax all the muscles of your body and let go completely. It is not important how far you come down, this happens automatically with regular practice.

When coming back, take your time and slowly go up vertebra by vertebra until you are standing again. Then fold your hands in front of your heart and breathe calmly and regularly, feeling the connection between your thumbs and your chest area and becoming aware of how wonderful and unique you are.  

 

"Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is about what you learn on the way down.”

Warrior II - Virabhadrasana II

Strong and powerful and well rooted in the earth, this is the Warrior II. Practiced regularly, you strengthen your self-confidence and self-worth with it. You are brave, not afraid of the future and put your focus in the now.
 
The starting position is the upright stance “Tadasana”, now inhale and place the right foot backwards. Turn the foot out 45 degrees, the heels are in line.
Exhale and bend the left leg, the knee joint should be above the ankle, the pelvis tilted a bit inward so you don’t make too much of a hollow back.
Extend both arms out to the sides and look forward over your left arm. Let your shoulders sink in a relaxed manner.
 
Now inhale and exhale slowly and imagine how courageously you are treading your path in life. You are strong and put your focus on the now, looking positively towards your goals. You feel good and balanced.
 
Then build up the asana on the other side.
 
 
These yoga exercises can be done anywhere and anytime, you don’t even need a mat. If you feel anxious again, practice these wonderful yoga exercises for a few minutes and let me know how you did. 
 
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you many happy, anxiety-free moments! 
 
Namasté, 
Yours Nina 
 
 

Thanks, for reading

If you liked my blog, feel free to leave me a comment! I look forward to seeing you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *