Do You Suffer from Anxiety? Yoga Can Help!
Life is full of moments that cause us to feel stressed or nervous. Getting up and speaking in front of a large group of people, starting a new school, and trying to ace that important job interview – all of these scenarios can make us fearful, resulting in sleepless nights and performance jitters.
The problem starts when this fear becomes persistent and overwhelming and interferes with everyday life. At this point “normal fear” becomes a full-blown anxiety disorder.
While a certified therapist should be consulted to develop a plan for treating your anxiety disorder, yoga is an effective and natural way to get some relief from symptoms like trouble sleeping, muscle tensions, and chronic digestive upset.
Yoga, it turns out, can help control anxiety in a few different ways:
1. Yoga Builds Confidence
Anxiety can result from a lack of confidence in our ability to handle negative situations, either real or theoretical, that may arise. We are not so much fearful of public speaking as we are fearful that we are somehow going to “screw up.”
Yoga is a major confidence-builder because it works to strengthen the body and mind at the same time. The practice includes body postures and breathing techniques, along with ancient meditation approaches, and combined, these can help a person feel calm, centered, and able to handle any situation that crops up in their life.
2. Yoga Distracts Your Mind from the Negative Loop
What can you do when your mind seems to be stuck on an endless loop of negative and worrisome thoughts? Distract with other thoughts.
Yoga trains a person to focus their thoughts on the moment, specifically by thinking only of their rhythmic breath. As soon as the mind wanders to its typical negative thinking, the practitioner simply guides it back to the breath without anger or judgement. Feelings of calmness and acceptance naturally follow intense breath work.
3. Yoga is like Your Inner Therapist
Yoga is a wonderful compliment to therapy because, like your therapist, yoga helps you to observe how your mind works. And, also like your therapist, there is no judgement involved. Mediation is simply about paying attention to the thoughts you are having, keeping the thoughts that are helpful and releasing those that are harmful.
Yoga and meditation will also help you to train your mind to focus on the positive aspects of your life. When you surround yourself with positivity, the fear of negativity subsides.
Yoga to Target Anxiety
Acknowledging that yoga is a powerful compliment to psychotherapy for anxiety, Aspire Counseling has partnered with Chelsea Olson, a certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher, to provide a four week yoga series aimed at managing anxiety, stress, and its effects in the mind and body. Working directly with the nervous system, we’ll practice a variety of techniques that effectively disrupt the self-perpetuating stress cycle and help you find relief from your anxiety. The class will be held on Mondays between February 12-March 5th and is limited to a maximum of 6 participants to make sure everyone feels safe and supported. Please check out our Yoga for Anxiety page for more information or e-mail Chelsea at chelsea@sagethera.com to reserve your spot in the class! You may also want to consider anxiety treatment in Columbia, MO as an added self-care measure.
Begin Counseling with Aspire Counseling in Columbia, MO
If you are considering some techniques to practice mindfulness, and you’re beginning to experience signs of anxiety please reach out to us today through the contact form on this page or by calling 573-328-2288. We have therapists trained in treatments such as Mindfulness who will be glad to help you find some ways to find peace. We will help you to look straight at them and figure out how to begin taking the power, access calmness, and move forward! If you think you would benefit from working with a therapist who focuses on mindfulness and you live in the Columbia, MO area, we’d love to help. Typically, Aspire Counseling therapists are ready to meet you where you are in your healing. To get started follow these simple steps:
1. Call 573-328-2288 or fill out our contact form.
2. Meet with one of our caring therapists for a free consultation.
3. Start finding closure and feel better from your anxiety.
Other Mental Health Services at Aspire Counseling
Anxiety counseling is not the only service we offer at our Columbia, MO clinic. Other mental health services that Aspire Counseling provides include depression counseling, counseling for college students, counseling for caregivers, grief counseling, teen counseling, counseling for adults, LGBTQIA+ affirming counseling, DBT, trauma therapy for children and teens, counseling for sexual assault survivors, and online therapy. Contact us today!
