Hour 66 Yoga Therapy – Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Yoga Therapy for Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Introduction
Anxiety and panic attacks are increasingly common in today’s fast-paced, high-stress world. Occasional anxiety is a natural response to stress, but chronic anxiety and panic attacks can ruin one’s quality of life. Yoga therapy, with its mind-body holistic approach, provides a time-tested, scientifically-proven way to control and even cure these conditions.
Understanding Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Anxiety is characterized by persistent worry, nervousness, and fear, often without a clear cause. Panic attacks are sudden, intense episodes of fear accompanied by physical symptoms like racing heart, breathlessness, sweating, and a sense of losing control.
Common Symptoms:
Rapid heartbeat
Shortness of breath
Dizziness or fainting
Chest pain or tightness
Excessive worry or obsessive thinking
Avoidance behavior
These symptoms are often misunderstood as physical illness, leading sufferers to hospitals rather than healing modalities like yoga.
Yoga Therapy: A Wholeness Perspective
Yoga does not simply mute symptoms—it addresses root. Panic and anxiety are most commonly due to imbalances of:
The nervous system (dominance by sympathetic nervous system)
Pranic circulation (aberrant breathing and constricted energy)
Stowed unresolved emotion held within subconscious mind
Yoga therapy intervenes upon:
Honing regulation of the autonomic nervous system
Pranic equilibrium restored
Aiming mindfulness and presence-awareness
Honing the connection of the body with the mind
Neha, a 32-year-old corporate professional, was getting frequent panic attacks that made her breathless and reluctant to venture out of home. Medication was prescribed by doctors, but side effects such as drowsiness and fogginess hampered her job.
She went to yoga therapy.
Her 3-month tailored program consisted of:
Gentle asana practice to earth her body
Daily Nadi Shodhana to balance the breath and the mind
Yoga Nidra to release deeply stored tension
Journaling and reflective silence
Slowly, Neha regained control. Panic attacks decreased in intensity, sleep was better, and she became emotionally more stable. Her doctor assisted her in tapering medication with monitoring.
Therapeutic Yogic Tools for Panic and Anxiety
1. Asanas (Postures)
Use slow, grounding postures that help to regain a feeling of safety and balance. Use rapid or extremely strenuous flows with caution initially.
Recommended Asanas:
Balasana (Child’s Pose): Creates a sense of surrender and grounding
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose): Opens the heart and alleviates nervous tension
Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-wall): Calms the adrenal glands and nervous system
Sukhasana with forward bend: Restorative and soothing
Warning: Steer clear of fast or heat-generating practices (e.g., intense Vinyasa) in the beginning.
2. Pranayama (Breath Regulation)
Breath is both an expression and a remedy for anxiety.
Most Effective Practices:
Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing): Balances hemispheres of the brain and calms emotional oscillations
Bhramari (Humming Bee Breath): Causes parasympathetic stimulation and release of emotions
Deep diaphragmatic breathing: Instructs the body to relax at a conscious level
Practice pranayama every day, early morning and prior to sleep.
3. Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep)
A methodical mode of guided relaxation that frees unconscious emotional tension. Even 20 minutes daily can bring significant dividends.
Benefits:
Decreases cortisol (stress hormone)
Improves sleep quality
Reprograms subconscious responses through sankalpa (resolve)
4. Meditation and Mindfulness
Meditation helps to create distance from anxious thoughts. The following techniques are suitable:
So-ham breath awareness meditation
Body scan meditation
Trataka (candle gazing) for mental concentration
Loving-kindness (Metta) meditation to counteract self-criticism
Yogic Psychology and Lifestyle Tools
Self-Inquiry (Swadhyaya): Writing down fears and observing patterns
Satsang and mentoring: Remaining with spiritual community or mentor
Detachment (Vairagya): Not over-identifying with worrying thoughts
Positive sankalpas (intentions): Substituting fear with trust
Scientific Insights on Yoga for Anxiety
Contemporary research validates yoga therapy:
A 2010 Harvard study identified yoga as an effective treatment for generalized anxiety disorder symptoms.
MRI research indicates higher levels of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) in frequent yoga practitioners—a neurotransmitter associated with soothing the nervous system.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) increases with yoga, reflecting enhanced stress resilience.
Precautions and Integration with Conventional Treatment
Always advise clients to continue consulting with their physician or therapist.
Yoga therapy is ancillary, not a substitute for psychiatric treatment if indicated.
Individuals with anxiety based on trauma may feel discomfitted at first in meditation—there is gentle guiding to be done.
Conclusion
Yoga therapy is a healing, effective, and empowering process for treating anxiety and panic attacks. By soothing the breath, balancing the nervous system, and cultivating inner consciousness, yoga brings us back into the present, where anxiety evaporates and clarity emerges.
Reflection for Students
Can I watch my breath without judgment?
Where in my body do I tense up when I am feeling anxious?
What grounds me when I am afraid?
Yoga doesn’t simply instruct us how to move—but how to be. As a yoga therapist, this is perhaps the kindest thing you can give your clients.