Every day more people write to us asking what Yoga offers for people suffering from anxiety, and people suffering from panic attacks.
Anxiety and panic attacks, or episodes of hyperventilation, are not the same but in many cases, they occur at the same time.
For hundreds of years, yogis have known that the mind only obeys one thing - the breath. That is why so much importance is given to the practice of breathing control, called pranayama.
The objective is to remain aware of the way we breathe especially when stress levels begin to rise, whether due to external or internal causes, such as negative thoughts, and/or obsessive.
I know that it doesn't sound realistic for a person who has never practiced breathing exercises to think about putting all their attention on breathing right in the middle of the hurricane.
However, when these anxiety attacks happen, only one has two exits; suffer it, or give yourself a chance and try some method like the one proposed here.
It is the most basic breathing exercise. When you feel you are losing control, sit in a chair with both feet flat on the floor and your back straight, or lie on the floor or flat surface. Then put both hands on the abdomen to feel how the abdomen comes out on the inhalation, and returns inwards on the exhalation.
If it is the first time you do breathing exercises, you are likely breathing around. The correct form is the one described above, and we have described this process in detail in YOGA AN ART.
I will also describe one of my favorite breathing techniques, which I have taught and practiced for years with great success in people who have suffered anxiety and panic attacks.
This pranayama technique is NOT only for people who suffer from anxiety or have experienced panic attacks. It has other very good benefits, such as balancing the two hemispheres of the brain, giving you calm and clarity. Something that one can use in many moments.
I recommend doing it daily. It only takes 11 minutes a day and gives excellent results. Here the breathing Yoga technique is described step by step at Yogaanart.com
There are many and varied benefits of yoga on a physical and mental level when we practice it continuously. More technique is described step by step at Yogaanart.com