Quick yoga hacks for anxiety

Anxiety can feel overwhelming and lead to getting stuck in a loop of worry and stress. There are several yoga techniques you can use if you feel yourself becoming anxious and overwhelmed…

Flip yourself upside down! Either sit on a chair with your head between your knees, fold forward at your hips maybe using a wall for support or lie on the ground and put your legs up on a chair or against a wall. All of these activate a reflex in the body which helps the heart and breathing rates slow down.

Breathe! But do it mindfully. Take longer exhales than inhales- perhaps count in to 4 and out to 6. If you can manage to hold your breath at the bottom of your exhale for 2 seconds even better. Ideally your out breath will be twice as long as your in breath.

Feel your feet- send all your attention to the soles of the feet. Feel them on the ground and notice the temperature or texture of whatever you are standing on (or the feel of your socks or shoes). Spend a moment with all your focus there- and maybe even use the breathing technique above while you do it.

Use a mantra. A mantra is a repeated phrase that you say over and over to yourself in your head or out loud. This can be anything but a good one to use for anxiety is “I am anxious, this will pass”. You can say the first part whilst you are breathing in and the second on your exhale, combining two techniques at once.

Anxiety is on the rise for all people- but if you are hitting perimenopause or menopause it’s likely you’ll experience it to some degree. For more tools and techniques to help manage symptoms subscribe below.