{"id":236,"date":"2020-08-24T20:24:24","date_gmt":"2020-08-25T01:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/?page_id=236"},"modified":"2023-10-13T17:06:24","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T22:06:24","slug":"yoga-for-panic-attacks-and-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/yoga-for-panic-attacks-and-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoga for Panic Attacks and Anxiety: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yoga has always been that thing that I keep saying \u201cI\u2019ll get to eventually,\u201d but never quite find the time for. While I was initially interested to increase my own flexibility, I\u2019ve recently taken a further interest in yoga for its potential mental health benefits. Can yoga help with panic attacks and anxiety?<\/p>\n

For many people, yoga seems to have a positive effect on stress, helping to decrease symptoms of panic attacks and anxiety. Yoga combines psychological and physiological processes in an attempt to enhance the mind-body connection, thereby working to improve mental health.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If this all still seems pretty cryptic and mysterious to you, no worries. Allow me just a few minutes and I can explain exactly what yoga is and how you might be able to use yoga for panic attacks and anxiety symptoms.<\/p>\n

So, break your favorite tie-dye t-shirt out of the attic and let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t Yoga for Hippies and New-Age Soccer Moms?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you’re anything like I used to be, you’ll immediately associate yoga with images of new-age soccer moms stretching at the park, or some old guy sitting in robes contorting his body while perched on a mountaintop. I’ll admit, I used to view yoga with the same skeptic discontent that I view homeopathic remedies or “healing crystals” with. This was an error on my part. Practicing yoga for anxiety and psychological benefits is actually extremely effective, with well-founded scientific evidence to back it up.<\/p>\n

The reason why many people (myself included, in the past) dismiss the idea of trying yoga for panic attacks and anxiety management is likely because of the spiritual connotations that come along with it. The ancient Indian philosophies built around the practice of yoga are some 5,000-10,000 years old, and can be pretty heavy on the spiritualism. Some people may love this, but natural skeptics like myself tend to immediately recoil.<\/p>\n

To those not looking for a new life philosophy or spiritual practice, yoga can (from the outside looking in) appear more like a stretching cult than a legitimate form of exercise.<\/p>\n

However, the reality is, modern Western adaptations of yoga focus much more on the physical and mental benefits of the exercise; as opposed to Eastern cultures\u2019 more traditional focus on the spiritualism and philosophy behind yoga. Much like meditation, yoga can be an entirely secular practice. You can do it for the physical and mental benefits, no philosophical strings attached.<\/p>\n

Meditation vs. Yoga for Anxiety \u2013 What\u2019s the Difference?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For people who are totally new to yoga and meditation, the two can seem difficult to unpack and differentiate from one another.<\/p>\n

To keep this is simple as possible, I want you to think of it like this:<\/p>\n