Do you constantly deal with stress and anxiety in your life?
You’re not alone—and with mental health awareness at an all-time high, it’s not hard to find health issues.
But between the big Pharma companies and the mental health professionals shoving unhealthy resources down your throat trying to fix the problem, there’s another, simpler way: meditation.
Practicing yoga and meditation are two of the simplest, yet effective ways to treat your body right.
It can help with everything from arthritis to toning your body—but the best side effect of your practice is what it does to your mental clarity.
There are ways to deal with your anxiety that are healthy, but meditation is something that you can do at anytime, anywhere.
Even if you’ve never done yoga a single day in your life, it’s easy to start.
The Bigger Picture
Begin by taking five minutes in the morning and focusing on some peace and quiet without your phone for distractions.
Focus on breathing in and out, and imagining the root of your anxiety. Is it stress at work? At home? Financial troubles?
Now, clear those thoughts from your head.
Many people choose to meditate with affirmations or mantras—but you don’t always need to follow every single trend that comes along with the practice.
The idea here is to understand your anxiety, not just confront it.
The more you understand your anxiety, the less control it has over you—which is often the most frightening part of having crippling anxiety.
Yoga offers you the unique chance of unplugging from your anxiety, stepping away from it and looking at the problem from a clear mind.
Breathing Through It All
Breathing is an important part of controlling your anxiety.
How many times have you heard “take a deep breath” when you were hysterical? Breathing is one of the most important things we can do to influence our emotional state.
Anxiety often leads to panic disorders—which, when truly terrible, can launch you into a frenzy which feels like you’re choking or having a heart attack.
While it may seem insignificant, the key here is to recognize when an attack is coming on and controlling your breathing before it gets bad.
Breathing in through the nose for a count of five then breathing out through the mouth for a count of five is a good start.
That being said, don’t feel like you must follow someone else’s flow—find your own flow by listening to your body.
Finding a Literal Balance
One of the best parts of yoga besides mental clarity is what it does to your body.
Just 30 minutes a day can tone your body quickly, and teach you about balance.
We’ve all seen those yogis who can balance on one hand while simultaneously lifting their friends in the air with their torso…right?
While that seems like it would be literally impossible, it’s just that these people have been strengthening their bodies and core for decades.
Finding a balance through yoga can be taken literally in this case.
All in all, yoga is a low maintenance practice with some big benefits.
Between squashing your anxiety and strengthening your body, it’s not hard to see why it is such a popular practice.
(h/t Better Change Project)