I get very anxious sometimes. Are there any yoga techniques that I can use to get rid of my anxiety. Any comments and suggestions are welcome.
Abdominal breathing in savasana.
well… I used to have horrible panic attacks (i wont calm down without a shot or tab)…
Just commit to Yoga, practice with good people and you will feel better.
Can you tell more about you anxieties?
Yes there are many techniques in yoga to support you dealing with anxiety. If you’d share more of yourself and your situation and expound on the question I’d reply in kind.
Rudra, the best Yoga practice which I learn from my Yoga Guru Unity in anxiety is, sleep on the floor and keep your eyes closed and take a deep breath and continue till 5 to 10 min until you feel relaxed.
If still it does not help you, there is many more Yoga exercise which can really help you.
Hi Rudra,
How are you doing…
I’ve compiled a list here.
[ul]
[li]Yoga Nidra[/li][/ul]
[ul]
[li]Deep relaxational practices ( savasana with abdominal breathing, reverse savasana hands clasped behind back of head or neck whichever is comfortable, and then yu can engage in a mini yoga nidra- Rotation of Consciousness-awareness of body parts- consciously and systematically relax------ left or right wrists elbows, shoulder joint ,waist, inner thighs, calf feet- then do the other side do the other side then end with the neck and head)[/li][li]Meditation (using deep cleansing effective techniques such as silent mantra- i don’t have much experience with verbal chanting but intoning mantras mentally tends to work on a deeper level- softer techniques- watching the breath etc)[/li][li]Pranayama( anuloma viloma or psychic nadi shodhana aka ‘alternate nostril breathing’- balnces left & right hemispherers and does have a calming effect. If you cannot sit comfortably for pranayama or even meditation though there is risk of going to sleep here you can opt for the apporach Iyengar taught which is to engage the practice lying down.It’s not ideal but it’s what Iyengar says he would teach to students that could not sit comfortably or still- spine straight etc.Wtaching the flow of breath at the nostrils- trying to balance flow equally, abdominal & diaphragmmatic breathing)[/li][li]Meditation on the “I” thought. Who is the seer behind your experience and it’s content? It’s what Alan Watts called intellectual yoga (some say jnana or philosphical) although it’s unlikely to get most folk very far,beyond their suffering, unless they’re , imo, engaged in a broad spectrum practical approach.It also helps if you meditate say on a deep mantra, then it begins to make more sense and you can put some distance between you and your mental processes and any anxiety/emotional angst etc.[/li][li]Restorative or Therapeutic asana series for emotional and/or physcially tight or tense people such as Pawanmuktasan series or JointFreeingSeries.Lie in savasana whenever fatigued so the nervous sytem is in the parasympathetic state conducive to healing…[/li][/ul]
That’s a broad-ish sketch of a multidimensional sadhana designed to stimulate a state more conducive to healing.
I would say though having experienced it for myself though that meditation is probably your greatest ally.You might want to look at ‘deep meditation’ practice a complete sadhan in itself, from the AYP school of yoga.Here is their website if you wish to pursue. -http://www.aypsite.org.
It’s more or less the same,certainly similar to what some call transcendental meditation popularised by Ramana Maharishi in the 60 & 70’s ( think Beatles) although with slight variations in the mantras chosen( supposedly the right one is/was chosen for you based on your temperament whereas the ayp one is universal) , and i think they might have included a meditation on the “I” thought component also.
The AYP “deep meditation” practice cultivates something they call ‘inner silence’ which should put some distance between YOU and any anxiety you may be feeling.You’d need to read the Main Lessons and there’s a support forum on that website too.
There are plenty of meditation techniques out there(something that has recently been discussed on this forum - see a recent thread of mine here).You could say it’s partly a matter of finding one we’re comfortable with and giving it a spin.I’m actually on the hunt currently for an effective meditation technique- a [I]craving[/I] you could say.I’ve tried deep meditation already but i’ve been considering alternatives.It is something actually Osho suggested plus i like trying different practices out. The proof is in the pudding, as they say!
Hey, why don’t you follow Baba Ramdev?
I just came to know, he is excellent Yoga teacher.
Hi,
I said that Transcendental Meditation was popularised by Ramana Maharishi(1958-68, & onwards). Actually, a slight error exists here. His popular name, at least, is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1914-2008 ) .
The main difference between TM,say, and AYP “Deep Meditation” is that the latter is open-source & free, & requires no initiation (or secretive ritual or oath not to share the techniques with anyone etc- the history of spiritual traditions is full of this)-- only a willingness to try out the practices, if you are so inclined. Go to http://www.aypsite.org for more info, and click on ‘Main Lessons’(top of page).The ‘AYP’ yoga system (‘Advanced Yoga Practices’ it stands for, btw, but don’t necessarily be fooled by the name- anyone can do them) guide the practitioner towards ‘self-directed practice’ without dependency on a “specialist” , and help you find ‘the guru within’- your true Self actually…Deep Meditation in particular and many other yoga practices should help cultivate that inner guru.I think it’s a great system. There are others but i would encourage anyone in their right yoga mind to at least try it out. Nothing to lose, if you take your yoga practice seriously ,and are so inclined…What can i say? The proof is in the eating.One ends up with a better distillation of the essence of yoga if one embraces all 8 limbs.I have read Patanjali described as an idealist,i.e expected nothing less of any aspirant/student, but I guess this is one reason why.
Look at your life, what’s causing the anxiety? What are you not addressing? (if I may be so bold).
Yoga and meditation gave me more strength and willingness to look at my own issues, and accelerated healing, but they never made the problems disappear.
Hello everyone,
At the Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centre in Dharamsala will be an Intensive course about this topic.
I am pasting the informations below.
Love&Blessings,
Duyguji
[B]-Getting Stress Out of our Life-
24th June to 6th July 2010[/B]
Description:
Modern life can be quite straining. Today, more than half the world population lives in cities, where stressors like pollution, noise and traffic are present. With so many people spending increasing amounts of time in front of computers, neck and back problems are no more exclusive to office-bound workers. The current fast-paced lifestyle which many of us lead has a negative impact on our physical and mental health, leaving us vulnerable for ailments such as lower back pain, stiffness of the neck and shoulders, hypertension, anxiety and depression. Daily yoga practice helps prevent many of these conditions, as well as alleviating and curing them. Yoga brings us back in contact and harmony with our inner and outer nature. This course sheds light on how to integrate yoga practice into our often busy and hectic schedules, in order to learn how to be healthy and happy, despite external stressors.
The cost of the 2-week Intensive Course is 24,000 INR. The Course fee is inclusive of all meals.
For more information visit the homepage hiyogacentre.com
Yoga is holistic isn’t it?
Maybe people need to change their lives not just find an antidote to the poisons they wish to keep consuming.
Here’a summary of the first 2 limbs which help address important areas such as diet and lifestyle.These are integrated with the rest of a wise & effective yoga practice. They strike me as the [I]hardest[/I] limbs, i feel, out of the eight.
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-23034.htm
Personally i am currently exploring measures that involve fasting in order to address the niyamas-the 2nd limb- such as purification and discipline(training) of body & mind,self-contentment,tapas ,austerities,non-attachment to desires etc. Perhaps that might be something to think about in addition to anything else you might be practicing.
The niyamas include:-
-Being content in all situations-cultivating that attitude
-Surrendering to the source- let negative thought patterns goo-consciously ( and unconsciously release them through say deep meditation, for one)
-Inner exploration
-Purity of body & mind (santosha)
-Tapas/austerities/discipline/effort/training
[QUOTE=rudra;29974]I get very anxious sometimes. Are there any yoga techniques that I can use to get rid of my anxiety. Any comments and suggestions are welcome.[/QUOTE]
The holistic approach has been resorted to by a lot of people. Symptoms of anxiety and panic are brought on by an intense reaction to fear. It is crucial to become a more calm and centered individual in order to deal with these reactions in a rational fashion. Exercise is said to be one of the best methods to discharge tension, stress, as well as panic. A minimum of half an hour of vigorous exercise per day ought to be enough to ease signs and symptoms. Other natural forms of treatment include getting enough sleep, meditating, keeping a every day journal, and eating healthy.
The breathing techniques, exercise and meditation which is part and parcel of yoga should get you through those anxiety attacks.
If you are looking for easy and fast way how to calm down your stress and anxiety - use breathing techniques. I also have a very stressful life, but people on this forum here have gave me so much good advices, which actually help me a lot.Breathing techniques is one of these methods. When you feel nervous, try to relax and very deeply and slowly to breath - it should calm your worries Keep practicing and hope will fight your anxiety
Soothing breathing techniques are excellent for a quick response. If this doesn’t work, I may suggest chanting mantras.
It is a simple way to keep your mind focused in one thing, instead of your worries.
The easiest way to calm your mind is to chant outloud. If you feel your mind goind quieter, you can try try after chanting whispering and after only mentally. Chanting mentally has more benefits than wihspering, and whispering more than outloud.
But to begin, outloud is easier to keep your mind quiet.
Om Shanti