How to Deal with Anxiety Through Yoga Breath

It was a time like no other in our lives. A global pandemic. An international reckoning with systemic racism with the death of George Floyd and many others. The world finally realizes that there is no Planet B. And yet the work is not over yet.

Words don’t feel adequate to describe what our minds and bodies have been through. Each life has been impacted, altered, evolved, displaced and possibly isolated in unique ways. There are ways to use your breath to recover from the fears and upheavals of the past year and to use your meditative breath to manage stress.

The way we breathe and the air we breathe was front and center. Breathing with a face mask and hyperawareness of others breathing and coughing around us have become part of our daily experience.

Take time to adjust

As the UK slowly eases lockdown restrictions, restoring self-awareness and connection is crucial to healing. For me, last year was a year full of extreme ups and downs. I have often felt disconnected from my family, friends and community, but at the same time a deep sense of connection to home life. The past year has impacted our mental health in ways we may not currently fully understand or recognize, and it may have brought old emotions to the surface.

Fear is a completely normal and human reaction to what we have all been through. Fear can manifest itself physically and mentally. Common symptoms include shortness of breath, racing thoughts and an increased heart rate. This happens because your body senses a threat - and it was right, but in doing so it has put itself into "fight or flight" mode, which is useful for escaping danger. However, when our minds and bodies stay in this mode for a long time, anxiety symptoms like shallow breathing can become commonplace.

This blog invites you to reconnect with your breath and create a narrative of awareness, strength and resilience for dealing with anxiety. Your breath is your life force and can be a powerful tool to connect, heal and move forward.

If you have any health problems that affect your breathing, please consult a doctor before using any of these breathing techniques. You know your body better than anyone else. So when you try the practices I share, try things at a pace and in a way that suits you.

Acknowledge and respect your body’s needs

First, it might be helpful to learn about the role of your breath in managing your emotional and mental state. Here is the basic explainer of neuroscience. The nervous system can be divided into two main components: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.

The peripheral nervous system is divided into two additional branches: the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that is responsible for controlling body functions that are not consciously controlled, such as: B. Breathing, heartbeat and digestive processes. The peripheral nervous system has nerves that travel from the brain to the body and from the body to the brain. This means that messages are sent in both directions.

The autonomic nervous system has two sets of nerves, parasympathetic and sympathetic. In the “fight or flight” state, your sympathetic nerves are activated, and in the “rest and digest” state, your parasympathetic nerves are activated. Humans should naturally move between these two states, but when there is no perceived threat, the most natural state of being is in the parasympathetic “rest and digest” state most of the time.

You cannot directly control which of these states you are in. You can’t tell your body to go into “fight or flight” or “rest and digest.” In the same way, you can't consciously tell your heart to beat faster.

However, one function of the autonomic nervous system that you can consciously change is your breathing. And it turns out that when you control your breath, you can indirectly influence other areas of your autonomic nervous system, such as: B. Your heart rate and whether you are in “rest and digest” or “fight or flight” mode. By performing specific breathing exercises, you can instruct your body to activate parasympathetic nerves to induce a state of calm.

So when you consciously regulate your breathing, you can regulate your emotional and mental state. Keep this information in mind as we delve into the two practices.

Mindful breathing exercises

I would like to share two breathing exercises that have been my foundation over the past year: abdominal breathing and Ujjayi Pranayama. Whether you are a breathwork veteran or a newbie to breathing techniques, these two practices can serve as a reminder or an introduction.

Belly breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing, can help with shallow breathing, when your breath can be short and chesty. When we become anxious, one of the most common symptoms is shallow breathing and racing thoughts. Going back to the basics of breathwork can help you develop a deeper awareness of feelings and emotions in your body.

Abdominal breathing helps you build a resilient respiratory system because the breathing technique exercises your diaphragm, a dome-shaped layer of muscle at the bottom of your chest that is primarily responsible for respiratory function. Abdominal breathing maximizes the amount of oxygen entering the bloodstream and allows the body to relax. Abdominal breathing has a physiological effect on the body by supporting blood flow, lowering heart rate and blood pressure.

If you want to try it,Here is a video to practice with.

The second exercise I invite you to try or revisit isUjjayi Pranayama, also known as victorious breath. Victorious breathing allows you to lengthen and lengthen your breath by contracting your throat muscles to gain more control over the way you breathe. The victorious breath creates a soft sound in the back of your throat. Every sound we make as we exhale sends waves of calm through our minds and bodies, so conscious, slow exhalation can calm a busy mind and calm a tense body.

For me the victorious breath is my fundamental companion, the world can feel like a whirlwind but this breath makes me feel like roots are growing from my feet and I feel resilient and strong. It has been one of the most effective anxiety management tools I have because I use it all the time. With consistent practice, this breath can help us reframe our anxious experience. For me, this was useful for re-entering the old room or meeting people I haven't seen in a while. It's normal to become anxious, but your breath can help you reframe the experience.

UseThis videoas a reminder or as an introduction.

Create space for peace

Creating a small sanctuary at home can help practices become daily habits. Some things I recommend investing in are: a cushion as it has helped me focus on my daily practice. It is my item in peacetime, I have itrectangularSince it's so versatile and blocks are always useful for bringing the ground closer to you, I have a stack of them(link removed).Breathing exercises can also be supported with a gentle facial massage, which is what I use(link removed)letting go of my face, which can help me loosen up into a breathing exercise.

Finally, it is important to note that traumatic events can change the way we breathe without us knowing it. Trauma is subjective. It may be useful to think of it as something that has negatively affected you with lasting effects, such as frequent flashbacks, racing thoughts, and panic attacks. Trauma lives in our mind, body and breath and can occur in a variety of ways.

If you are experiencing anxiety symptoms or symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reach out to a trusted person or organization. I've collected some helpful mental resources here.