Anxiety is something we face in our day to day lives. However, sometimes it can overwhelm us and interfere with the people we love and the quality of our lives. Anxiety disorders can affect various parts of a person life: behaviour, thoughts, emotions and physical health. It is estimated that anxiety affects approximately 1 in 10 individuals.
Anxiety is described as a feeling of uneasiness, uncertainty and powerlessness. The origins of anxiety can stem from past unconscious conflict, beginning in infancy or childhood, a learned behaviour, or a result of biochemical imbalances in the central nervous system. Usually the root cause of anxiety is a combination of physical and environmental factors.
The word anxiety stems from the Latin verb "angere" which means to press tightly or choke. Some of the symptoms of anxiety are: accelerated heart rate, feeling of pressure in the chest, rapid breathing, nausea, heartburn, diarrhea, shakiness, restlessness, sleeplessness, frequency of urination, sweating, hot and cold spells, rapid speech, lack of coordination, forgetfulness, impatience, errors in judgement and diminished productivity.
Yoga involves slow movements and breathing techniques, which is opposite to the symptoms and characteristics of anxiety and our reaction to it. The practice of yoga can develop a stronger and peaceful state of mind and better self-awareness. This helps to overcome fears and prevents the dangers of anxiety.
Practicing yoga postures maintains a healthy nervous system. The hormonal reactions in the blood are neutralized by determined and forceful self restraint. Shortness of breath and rapid heartbeats are soothed by steady but gradual supply of oxygen and reduction in circulation with yoga which calms you down. Pranayama is the practice of using deep breathing to create balance in the body. When there is not enough prana in the body, a person becomes restless and feels constricted. Anxiety is a bi-product of prana imbalance, and deep yoga breathing is designed to bring more prana into the body.
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