A few days ago, I noticed a Web article that claimed a good dose of stress and anxiety to be a healthy and even a necessary component of a healthy existence. Yes, we all experience some anxiety here and there. But without relaxation, daily anxiety can easily turn into anxiety attacks.
Speaking from past and very personal experiences, anxiety attacks are almost always accompanied by increased heartbeat, numb fingers and toes, accelerated breathing (hello anxiety-powered diaphragm!), sweating and a sense of derealization. The mind searches for danger and has trouble concentrating. And when the mind can’t find identifiable stressors to rationalize anxiety, it (anxiety) turns inward and makes us feel crazy and absolutely helpless. That’s why it is quite challenging to reverse an active anxiety/panic attack while it happens.
People who suffer from anxiety/panic attacks are often ashamed to talk about their experiences. Hence so many Americans rely on Prozac and Paxil – the magic pills that claim to be the only way back into anxiety-free bliss. I won’t deny the many short-term benefits of these drugs, yet no pill can cure the true source of one’s anxiety in a long run.
There IS a better way. A regular and meaningful yoga practice is a good place to start. Create a safe place within your spiritual being and acknowledge that the road to recovery will involve exploration and healing of old wounds, some of which you are not even aware of. (https://radiomusical.com/)
Practice conscious breathing such as Yoga Tune Up® Belly Breathing as demonstrated here (and find further techniques for stress relief):
This style of belly breathing is a useful daily practice, as well as at the onset of an anxiety attack. This technique down regulates the nervous system and combats stress.
Breathe in and out to a healthy, anxiety-free life. Namaste.
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On est souvent trop rapides à recourir aux médicaments pour les troubles d’anxiété, médicaments qui ont de nombreux effets secondaires, et qui ne font qu’apaiser les symptômes de surface plutôt qu’aborder les véritables sources de l’anxiété. La respiration profonde et une pratique régulière du yoga et de méditation sont des outils naturels pour prendre en charge sa propre santé, se sentir en contrôle, et cultiver la sérénité en toute circonstance.
There’s some interesting research being done about the potential positive aspects of workplace anxiety at the Univeristy of Toronto. They break anxiety into two categories.
One covers dispositional aspects, that is those that align with individual character traits. If someone already experiences high levels of general anxiety for example, their experiences with workplace anxiety will be different from those who don’t.
The other covers situational aspects, those that arise in specific job tasks. Some employees may be more affected by job appraisals, public speaking or other tasks that can distract them and lead to poor performance.
Some anxiety at work can help keep people focused, but it needs to be kept in check. The researchers recommend training to help boost self-confidence, offering tools and resources to perform tasks at work, and equipping employees with strategies to recognize, use, and manage feelings of anxiety through emotional intelligence development.
They probably should also learn some breathing techniques.
As a former dancer (told to tighten up and hold my belly in – always), I had the hardest time finding this breathe in my body when I started to deepen my yoga practice years ago. But now it’s my go-to for often stressed-out students, clients, and myself…I absolutely love the Belly Breathe! Especially the YTU way…and have had the pleasure of seeing it change a person dramatically in only a few minutes (from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system). I have not experienced anxiety attacks personally, but can now confidently offer a tool for students of mine. Thank you.
Anxiety is really touching a lot of people and I think talking openly about it is an effective way to make the first step for some…
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for making this breathing exercise relevant to life off the mat. This helps me to explain to people who are not yogis why I do what I do!
I wholeheartedly agree with yoga and yogic breathing as an alternative to medication for anxiety — and a great path to happiness and health even for those not medicated for their stress and anxiety. thanks!
I work with several clients with anxiety and the breathing is key and powerful to their ability to feel like they can manage the stress response and have tools through the breath to down regulate. Thanks for this post – it is a great article to point my students to when they need a reminder at home on how to practice the breathing.
Thank you! just what I needed today! I have travelled across the country to take a YTU level 1, ended up with a nasty flu cold etc and still hanging in there…this breathing exercise helped to reset my night to have a much better sleep and more calm out look on the training!
Ma mère faisait des crises de panique et d’angoisse, effectivement le premier reflex du médecin a été de les prescrire des pilules.Elle en a prit pendant 8 ans…8 ans.Un jour elle a rencontrer quelqu’un qui dieu merci lui a donner de bons conseils comme””bien respirer”” Depuis 4 ans maintenant elle ne prend plus de médicaments et elle aide maintenant les gens a mieux respirer en crise et eventuellement arrêter les médicaments.
Thanks for this great article! I work a lot with populations exposed to trauma who are dealing with a range of post-traumatic stress symptoms including anxiety. I find that another great breath technique to use both on a daily basis, but also in a specific situation where anxiety is triggered is Anulom Vilom or Psychic alternate nostril breathing.
I like using belly breathing at bedtime, as well as in situations where I’m feeling anxious. It definitely helps calm me down and make me feel more balanced between my head and my body.
The importance of breath and breath work cannot be touted enough. Your story gave me some insight as to how stress can seriously culminate. Thank you for sharing.
This is a great article…I was practicing this as I wrote the YTU Level 1 exam!
This is yoga.
This is a really great suggestion to actually pay attention to what actions are going on in your body. It helps to keep you present with only your breath, redirecting your focus from the sense of anxiety etc.
Cool….Mentally repeat rise and fall as you inhale and exhale for 5 mins…….well worth the time in terms of the rewards.
Breathing is such a great movement because it connects the conscious with the unconscious, or in other words: the somatic with the autonomic nerve systems. This means, on a regular basis we don’t need to think about breathing, but if we want to, we can guide our breath to up- and downregulate our nervous system. There is a little practice needed, but once you can feel how to accomodate the breath to your needs, it will help you a lot in so many ways.
It’s so easy for people to overlook the important downregulating effects of belly breathing. It’s something that is so simple to do – we can whip this exercise out anytime and experience its tremendous benefits to our body and mind. Thanks for the reminder of why belly breathing is so important for us!
So true, I came into the city for a seven day class and have found a lot of chaos. It takes a lot of concentration and down regulation to not let this environment over come an inner tranquility…… belly breathing is a great tool to accomplish this.
TDY
I love this style of relaxation technique. Jill seams to lead you so deep into savasana with her perfect ques . Thanks fore this post !!
The racing heartbeat, the sweating, the shallow breath as you experience one of these attacks has impact on the whole body. Coming back to the present by using the breath to tune in to its rhythm instead of the monkey mind is a useful tool and it not as easy as it sounds. Like anything else you have to work on it and be patient.
Thank you for offering a blog post about the breathe. All too often I had entered another teachers classroom domain only to find Beverly little said about the breath. Thank you for reminding me of its importance. .
I learned belly breathing as a teenager to get the most air in while I was playing the french horn. Belly breathing comes easier to me than thorasic breathing but still when I’m anxious I revert to clavicular breathing. It helps me to concentrate on belly breathing and also feeling grounded in my feel and present in the moment to calm my nerves.
This article really hits home for me. One of the reasons I came back to yoga and began to practice more regularly and seriously, was due to developing an intense amount of anxiety. While the idea of different types of breath didn’t quite make sense to me at first, with taking class more and more, I began to experience these different kinds of breath and truly reap the benefits of them, in particular deep belly breaths. I began using these techniques more outside of the classroom, particularly at night before bed, at time where my anxiety would often get really high. In reading this article, and in having/learning the breathing portion of the yoga tune up session of my teacher training this evening, it has helped me to not only remind myself to incorporate these different kinds of breath into my own practice but to also remember this is a crucial part of practice to bring to my future students and break down, specifically, how to use this particular breathing technique.
I love this breathing technique. I witness so many people who have trouble breathing and the belly breathing is a simple tool that helps to create consciousness for our own breathing and the positive effects it has on our system. In my classes, I would let the exhalations become longer than the inhalations and eventually introduce the full yogic breath after a couple of rounds of belly breathing. People love it!
Great post about breath and anxiety especially addressing panic attacks and long term solutions to them. The belly breath is really useful when teaching students that have experienced trauma and a great way to deregulate a public class. Thank you!
The breath is the most important part of our practice. It helps us get through the uncomfortable parts on the mat as well as off the mat. I love how more research is happening and doctors are appreciating that breath is healing in itself.
I agree that a bit of anxiety now and then is OK but self-control is very important. We have a few teachers at our studio who suffer from anxiety/panic attacks . So even when you do yoga this can still occur but each one of them has come “out of the closet” and have told people that they are definitely helped through yoga and breathing and usually can ‘control’ or prevent an attack . I like this: “yet no pill can cure the true source of one’s anxiety in a long run”
I really think that personally I like a certain level of stress sometimes even bordering on what others would call anxiety . When I want to slow down I use my breath usually in a seated position and I will definitely slow down and connect to the earth. Mindful breathing will slow and soothe my mind. I will feel the belly going out and coming in in rhythm with my breathing. It is the best way for me to slow down
I am one of those people who always finds it hard to just relax under stress. I can relate to the effects of anxiety, finding it hard to concentrate and do the things I need to get done. This breathing technique is a great way to set ourselves free from reality for a few minutes as we focus on deep, healthy, belly breathing. Many of us often need that reminder to just Breathe so that we can get back to our responsibilities feeling fresh and with a new, more peaceful attitude.
Did anyone see that interview with an Indian woman, who was pronounced dead, but made it back to life under extraordinary circumstances? She left her body, but recalls everything that was said around her. After she woke up from her coma, her cancer tumors shrunk and she has been in remission ever since. One thing that she said in her interview. “I know what caused my cancer and I know how to cure it.” There were certain stresses she was holding all her life and that manifested itself into the cancer she had. Once she understood that, she was OK. She just wrote a book about it too.
I guess the immune system is more sensative then we think!
I can attest that my mother has found great benefit with belly breathing for her anxiety. I agree that breathing is under taught in many movement and fitness modalities out there. In addition to being sedating to the nervous system I find that taking regular time to attend to my breath helps me be present to what is occurring in any given moment. And is especially potent in bringing awareness to re-activity to certain stimulus and interactions that might take us away from our center.
By far the most profound yoga practice for me aside from meditation is breath work or pranayama. If I actually manage to sit down or have a teacher to instruct me to do it I notice very quickly that there is a suspense of thought and eradication of all anxiety. In that place one can rest in a feeling of bliss. Unfortunately, this beautiful practice is under-taught and the focus I find is all too often strictly physical, with little emphasis or guidance on breath work. The first breath work I ever learned was abdominal breathing, I then learned a variety of techniques using ujjayi, and rarely teach abdominal breathing, however after YTU TT I am excited to re-introduce it to my students because it has a slightly different effect of a spacious relaxation, where ujjayi can also be relaxing but somehow there is more alertness. Also for me using kumbhaka increases the suspension of thought and the awareness of prana and subtler realms.
So true; practicing this or other kinds of breath carries into the rest of my life. I’ve noticed recently that when I encounter a stressful situation my breathing often automatically switches into a relaxing yogic breath as a means of coping. The breath is an amazing and natural way to care for the whole self and the body knows it!
Breath work is such a simple technique that is free, has no negative side effects and and can be used anywhere. We have to keep trying to get this information out to more people. My favorite pranayama that I was introduced to this week was Viloma. One inhalation interrupted by 3 pauses/kumbhakas followed by a gentle exhale and then inhale again only when you need to inhale.
I must say that before my wife introduced me to the Yogic Complete Breath, I didn’t have too much exposure to the deeper concepts of abdominal breathing. The more I learned about its sedative powers, the more I became interested in how I might be able to utilize it’s benefits for myself and my clients. I am a fan of using it to help me transition into sleep at night and I have enjoyed passing it along to those clients who could benefit from it’s calming potential for different anxiety issues. Thank you!
Thank you very much for this post, I I’m so glad you share this with us. It is so true that people with anxiety disorder are ashamed to talk about it, and I know as I’ve been dealing with axiety disorder and depression for a long time. I have to remind myself everyday the importance of staying with my breath and conect to it when I’m fealing anxious. It is the most powerful tool that I have, to be able to contol it. Practissing the YTU belly breathing is a wonderful tecnique.
I could not agree more! So important. Through Pranayama practices I have been able to let go of my inhaler. I like to think of breathe work sort of like being able to breathe underwater, there is a little more cabin pressure but the depth as to which the breath can go and the way it floods the body and oxygenates the organs is more indulgent. The first time I noticed the efffects of what my Pranayama had done for my lung capacity was when I went for a four mile jog after not running long distance in over 5 years! I never went out of breath and my heart rate stayed relatively even keel, for running! And no inhaler! Just deep calming belly breaths the whole way!
I completely concur with your article. What I find so sad and quite frankly irresponsible is how many doctor’s rely on prescriptions for their patients instead of taking the time to listen. Not just with their ears but with all their senses. I suppose on a short term basis using these meds can help calm someone. But long term, are they really interested in helping the patient or are they themselves feeling overloaded and filled with anxiety to the point where they’ve forgotten themselves what there goal is with their patients. It seems so simple the act of breathing. It is the most basic and necessary function of all living things, and yet it has no price tag placed on it, perhaps that’s why it is so under valued because there is no financial gain to be made by it.
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I LOVE the idea that yoga breathing practices can be used to treat stress and ensuing mental/psychological difficulties, as opposed to the reactive Westernized response of medicalization. Every time I hear of a friend or acquaintance who goes on medication, I think to myself “I wish they would try yoga!”
This was a very useful technique. I am one who suffers from severe anxiety and this practice calmed my nerves and made a noticeable difference. Thank you so much for your insight!
I absolutely love this abdominal breathing technique. I like the thoracic breaths as well but my favorite has to be the Complete Yogic Breath. It is the most amazing, peaceful feeling in the world and the best part is that I have complete control of it – what a great feeling! – . I was so impressed with this pranayama because I have never paid attention to my respiratory system the way that I have in the past weeks and it is allowing me to feel things that I’ve never felt – ever! The number one reason I adore this is because it allows people to get in touch with their body and allows them to understand the word proprioception.
Yoga has been a life saver for me in so many ways, but specifically with panic attacks. Learning to focus on the breath & take the mind away from the debilitating fear has been a miraculous discovery and journey. The fact that we have a way to self down regulate is another amazing aspect of our incredible bodies! A tool for anytime, any place. And coupled with my new knowledge about the diaphragm in relation to the spine & nervous system, I feel even more in control.
As someone who is very familiar with anxiety and subsequent panic attacks, it’s always helpful to be reminded that the body is there to help support you even when the mind takes you running elsewhere. Coming back to the breath is the number one thing that has helped me heal. When experiencing anxiety I have noticed the shortness of breath in my upper chest. Bringing the breath deeper into my belly as the video shows effectively slows the heart rate down. This video was a great way to reflect on this technique and serves as a reminder that the we can heal ourselves through mindfulness and trust in body.
Anxiety is most definitely one of my least favorite feelings. I have found that as I get older, it effects me more. I don’t get attacks incredibly often, but when I do, I never feel them coming, and don’t know what caused them. I do know though, that practicing yoga has helped me to recognize when I’m having one pretty quickly, which helps me get through them quicker. Also the yogic teachings of living in the moment definitely helps prevent them as well. This breathing exercise is GREAT though! I was feeling a little stressed, had a headache, and this really helped! Thank You!
I strongly believe there is nothing wrong with having anxiety. Its an important feeling! Let me elaborate… I like to think of anxiety as “the earth calling you to come down”. When all your energy is in your head, your mind and emotions spin to the point of exhaustion. This leads us to feeling scattered, disconnected, restless, tired… But i believe this sense of anxiety as we call it, is your body calling you to come home. When you feel anxious it means you quite literally need to ground! Getting into your body by connecting with the breath is an easy and extremely powerful way to “come down to earth”. Slow mindful breath soothes the mind and allows the parasympathetic nervous system to turn on. It is in this space that all deep healing and restoration happen. But how would we ever enter this state if their was nothing calling us down? Thank you anxiety. I promise to always honor you and all my feelings.
Lana-thank you for this. It’s a very relevant topic for me. I have found that recognizing the source of my anxiety is a good starting place. From there I can decide if it’s necessary or if it’s just me future tripping. Once I have identified the source, if it’s not something I can take proactive steps to change, I then validate the feeling, but talk myself down. I have found that a good breathing practice is hugely helpful to change the physical manifestations of anxiety which I need to do before I can work with the mental manifestations. I also agree with Jennifer’s assessment that our choices are sometimes the culprit, but think that a breathing practice can always be beneficial.
As much as being constantly aware of your breathing helps to reduce the stress in our lives, I would add that sometimes the choices we make in our lives are the reasons we have the stress in the first place. So I would examine my life first to see sources of stress I could eliminate.
I take all types of belly breathing I have learned from all my teachers with me everyday, living in a busy city, with busy subways, and a stressfull with long hours at my day job, I constantly turn to my belly breathing techniques and now I can add the YTU belly breathing to my yoga tool kit.
This breath brings me into my centre it is so affective because most people do not breathe correctly. Bringing your awareness to your breath as well discribed in this video of Jill and Lana can make you feel calm, relaxed and centred. I have found being in Toronto these few days with all the traffic, and people I need to connect with this breath as soon as I get home after each day of YTU.
I recently returned from a vacation during which I was on a beautiful island, phone-less, computer-less… frankly stress-less. When I returned to the city where I lived what struck me was how much little things were adding up to stress me out. I noticed that every time the phone rang, my email pinged, or someone cut me off in traffic, my breath caught and my heart jumped just a little bit. This wasn’t anything that I would ever have noticed if I hadn’t have been free of it for a few days. I don’t have major stress in my life but I do have this constant low level stress of life as we know it. I’ve known for a long time how good my yoga asana, pranayama and meditation practice makes me feel. I completely agree with your perspective.. and I’m going to make an effort to be aware of my breath throughout the day and not just during my practice.
Have found this belly breathing very relaxing for myself and students especially at the beginning of class. Vivian, I like the word “drowrsal”
So true Lana! I took a new form of transit today (first subway ride) and I wasn’t 100% sure that I was on the correct train and noticed I was also running late for my training class. I felt shortness in breath and found my shoulders elevated to my ears. My stress/anxiety of being lost, late etc. was causing a physical reaction in my breath and posture. I let out a big sigh and started to focus on some abdominal breathing. My shoulders depressed and I enjoyed the rest of my commute. I was on the right train after all. Daily anxiety exists here and there. Catching it and focusing on the quality of your breath can really impact your experience in any potential “stressful” situation. Thank you for sharing!
So simple and effective in calming the nerves. In training we also learned that having a longer exhale than inhale can create “drousal”. The opposite having a longer inhale than exhale can create arousal. By manipulating the breathe we can direct our energy or prana.