Holistic practices offer healing and relief from mental illness symptoms, such as yoga for anxiety. At Aliya Health Group, we understand that treating anxiety with yoga has ample benefits for the whole body. In treatment, you will learn self-remedies for anxiety that you can participate in both while in-center and after returning home. Your therapists and counselors will be able to share the many benefits of knowing how to manage your symptoms independently. Let’s explore how yoga for anxiety can help you, no matter what you’re going through in your pursuit to improve your mental health.
What Is Yoga?
Yoga is a practice that originated in ancient India. There are physical, spiritual, and mental elements of yoga. Physically, yoga has the benefits of improved strength, tone, and flexibility, along with all the standard benefits of exercise. Mentally, yoga can improve mood and improve the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Yoga can be practiced with spiritual elements to help the individual feel a connection to spiritual discipline.
Notably, yoga has long been used as a healing practice. In recent decades, it has gained popularity in Western culture. Yoga for anxiety disorders has a positive effect on improving the symptoms of mental illness.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the shortened term referring to anxiety disorders as a whole. There are many anxiety disorders with varying and overlapping symptoms. Notably, anxiety disorders are categorized as producing overwhelming feelings of anxiety, dread, or fear.
Other symptoms include:
- Irritability
- Avoidance of situations or triggers
- Feeling out of control
- Stomach pain
- Trembling
- Nausea
- Exhaustion
- Racing thoughts
- Intrusive thoughts
- Restlessness
Anxiety can cause a low quality of life characterized by fear, avoidance, and panic about the future. Oftentimes, symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders overlap. Anxiety is an extremely common diagnosis—roughly 40 million adults in the United States battle with anxiety, nearly 20 percent of the population.
Yoga for Mental Health Treatment
Having a disorder like anxiety or depression is understood to have damaging effects. These include one’s relationships, sense of self, professional development, and overall wellness. There are many benefits of yoga for mental health because of its emphasis on breathwork, mindfulness, and centeredness. Exercise, in general, has positive effects on the brain because working the body stimulates positive endorphins and dopamine. Yet, because yoga also focuses on stress relief and spiritual wellness, yoga is a great holistic option for anxiety.
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Speak With Our Admissions TeamUsing Yoga for Anxiety
Yoga has benefits for the whole self, making it an excellent holistic treatment option. At Aliya, holistic wellness is one of our core values. Yoga for anxiety disorders is beneficial because it targets healing for the mind, body, and spirit. In studies tracked by the National Library of Medicine, yoga led to a 70 percent improvement in anxiety symptoms.
Anxiety can make individuals feel incredibly isolated, especially if they struggle with social anxiety. Fortunately, yoga in a group setting can help them feel connected to themselves, their larger group, and the greater picture as a whole.
How Does Yoga Reduce Anxiety?
It’s believed that yoga aids in anxiety reduction by regulating the autonomic nervous system and boosting thalamic GABA levels in the brain. The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a brain chemical responsible for reducing anxiety and increasing a positive mood. Repeated practice of yoga also strengthens cognitive function by creating new neural pathways. In fact, yoga may produce a thicker cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which results in better memory and processing skills.
Yoga Poses for Anxiety
The reason Hatha yoga (focusing on physical postures) has an improvement on anxiety is because it works to stimulate the vagus nerve. To elaborate, the vagal system is responsible for “fight or flight” responses by connecting the mind and body. An overactive vagus nerve results in panicked feelings in the brain and physical responses like rapid heart rate, sweating, and nausea. Yoga poses provide a sense of calm by stimulating the vagus nerve and putting you in a more relaxed state.
Some common yoga postures include:
- Child’s pose
- Forward bend pose
- Seated forward bend
- Tabletop position
- Easy pose
- Triangle pose
- Tree pose
- Fish pose
- Cat pose
- Bound angle pose
- Cow pose
The Importance of Breathwork and Meditation During Yoga
Meditation and mindfulness play a key role in how yoga reduces anxiety and stress. Meditation calms the limbic system in the brain, which is responsible for emotions and behavior. Thus, the effect is better emotional regulation and a higher level of mood. Both meditation and mindfulness are major components of yoga and work in tandem with the physical poses to connect your brain and body. Clients experience centeredness and awareness of how they can control their emotions. Further, meditation for anxiety uses breathing techniques to calm the nervous system.
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Check Your CoverageOther Holistic Treatments for Anxiety
Along with yoga therapy, we also offer other holistic treatments for anxiety. Clients are encouraged to engage in multiple holistic activities because a balanced program plan combining traditional and holistic therapy leads to great healing.
Sound Healing for Anxiety
One of our holistic options is sound therapy healing. This therapeutic practice uses sound vibrations and frequencies to improve wellness through meditation.
Massage Therapy for Anxiety
Massage therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety and other mental disorders because it promotes relaxation and a good mood. By stimulating serotonin and lowering cortisol, massage therapy alleviates stress in a safe place of rest.
Find Professional Therapy for Anxiety
It’s important to treat mental health disorders like anxiety and depression so you don’t live with unnecessary worry and fear. The best way to overcome symptoms of a mental illness is through professional treatment at a rehabilitation center. Oftentimes, substance use disorders (SUD) go hand-in-hand with mental disorders. At our recovery facilities, we provide comprehensive care through traditional therapy and holistic programming. Yoga is one of the holistic activities we offer for anxiety disorder treatment, which will elevate your physical, mental, and spiritual wellness.
Our levels of care separate inpatient treatment from outpatient treatment based on the individual’s healing and readiness.
Inpatient Treatment for Anxiety
Our residential inpatient care gives clients 24/7 support. They live in the center and participate in group and individual therapy, as well as experiential therapy like yoga and meditation. Programming is flexible to encourage each person to find the care activities that resonate with them.
Outpatient Treatment for Anxiety
After the inpatient level, clients move into outpatient treatment, where they return home and attend sessions either in-center or online. Outpatient treatment keeps them plugged into a supportive rehab community while offering more independence. Notably, clients use the skills they’ve learned, like trigger management and emotional regulation, to gain control over their disorder.
Anxiety doesn’t have to control your life. There are some surprising options to help manage symptoms, like yoga for anxiety. There’s a connection between the body and mind, and understanding that connection can help improve mental health conditions. Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, and releasing tension help in relieving anxiety and reducing stress. Yoga practiced in rehab can help people with anxiety, anxious feelings, and panic attacks feel comfortable in their own skin.
We are here to discuss further, so please reach out today.
- Anxiety Disorders – National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (nih.gov)
- Facts & Statistics | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA
- Yoga as an Intervention for the Reduction of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review – PMC (nih.gov)
- Yoga for better mental health – Harvard Health
