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Yoga has a measurable impact on mental health. According to Harvard Medical School, yoga can reduce stress, increase the production of endorphins, and elevate GABA (a chemical associated with decreased anxiety). These benefits are thought to be cumulative, which means the more yoga you do, the more of a long-term improvement you’ll see — but participants in a 2019 study from Boston University School of Medicine also felt better after a single yoga session. So what is it about yoga that makes it such a great tool for anxiety? And, more importantly, is it possible to optimize your yoga flow to reduce anxiety?
To get some clarity, we asked mental health professionals how yoga helps with anxiety, and how to build a calming yoga flow of your own. Whether you’re a beginner looking to reap some of these mental health benefits or an experienced yogi trying to find peace, these tips can help you feel your best after your final savasana. Read on for some expert insight and tips to make your flow as beneficial as possible.
Experts Featured in This Article:
Ashley Watson, MSW, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and Kundalini yoga instructor.
Katie Heeran, MA, LMFT, RYT, is a licensed therapist and registered yoga teacher.
Why Is Yoga Good For Anxiety?
Yoga and meditation actually “help to restructure your brain,” says Ashley Watson, MSW, LCSW. Two of the brain structures yoga impacts are the amygdala, which Watson describes as “our reptilian brain, our fight or flight response,” and our prefrontal cortex, which deals with focus, memory, and problem-solving. Yoga and meditation, Watson explains, help to minimize the amygdala and “expand and rewire the prefrontal cortex,” grounding you and calming those urgent feelings of anxiety. “Meditation widens the gap between what you think, how you feel, and how you’re going to react,” Watson says.
Yoga and meditation are helpful complements to other forms of treatment, such as therapy. While therapy “works from the outside in,” easing anxiety by talking and receiving feedback from someone else, “yoga and meditation work from the inside out,” Watson says. “Yoga and meditation are healing you on a physical and emotional level, where you don’t have to talk, you just have to engage in a practice and the healing naturally follows.”
On a fundamental level, yoga “gets you in touch with your body,” adds Katie Heeran, MA, LMFT, RYT. “When we’re in a state of anxiety, people will describe it as feeling ungrounded. With yoga, you really work at grounding, rooting, and getting connected to the physical body.” That physical focus can distance you from the chatter of your mind and help you feel calmer and more fully present.
How to Create a Yoga Flow For Anxiety
Yoga is a proven mood-booster, but there are some ways to maximize the mental health benefits. If you want your yoga practice to reduce anxiety, here’s what therapists recommend:
Start as Small as You Need
Uncertain or nervous about starting a new yoga practice? That’s normal, and the solution is to start as small as you need. “Just a pose is plenty,” Heeran said. “You might start with that, especially if you’re intimidated. Just do one pose and and see how it feels. That’s doing yoga.” One of Heeran’s favorite poses for anxiety is reclined butterfly (a butterfly hip stretch done while lying on your back). “It’s really a way of just calming the nervous system and grounding,” she says. Heeran also points to child’s pose and legs up the wall as accessible beginner’s poses.
If the physical aspect of yoga still seems intimidating, you can also try this simple breathwork, Heeran says: inhale for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, exhale for four counts. You could also try a walking meditation. Ask yourself what you can do to “be more connected to my body rather than the energy of anxiety,” Heeran says.
Find a Practice You Connect With
There’s many different kinds of yoga, and you might find that some soothe your anxiety more effectively than others. Here are a few to try:
- Kundalini: Kundalini yoga combines physical movements with longer periods of meditation and deep breathing. If the movement is too much, Watson recommends trying still meditation. “Sometimes your body might need a break, but you can meditate every single day.”
- Yin: A Yin yoga class is slower and more restorative; you’ll hold poses longer to let your muscles and mind open up. “That can be really great for some people,” Heeran says.
- Hatha: You may find that more intense classes do more to calm your mind. “For some people, the idea of slowing down is almost too scary,” Heeran says. “They may need more of a physical practice that can calm the mind enough to soften and relax.” Some styles of Hatha yoga, the genre that most Western yoga classes fall under, may feel more like yoga-style workouts that increase your heart rate and work your muscles.
Know That Your Mind May Resist Yoga at First
Don’t get down on yourself if you struggle with consistency or finding the motivation to begin. The self-shaming is more likely to worsen your anxiety and drive you further away. The best thing to do, Watson says, is to forgive yourself and try again. “We often find resistance to doing the things that we know will help us, because we can feel stuck in our own patterns,” she explains. “Don’t let the not doing it create more self-doubt or negativity.”
Don’t Get Discouraged By Physical Obstacles
Yoga isn’t about how flexible or strong you are. “We all get so caught in what we can’t do,” Heeran says. “When we’re in a state of anxiety, we’re only in one kind of a state. With yoga, it’s saying, ‘Let’s try to link every part of ourselves together.'” The goal of yoga isn’t to put on a performance or twist yourself into complicated poses; it’s to connect your mind with your body and center yourself through breath and movement — whatever that looks like for you.
Be Patient With Yourself
There’s no right or wrong way to do yoga, Heeran says. When you’re establishing a practice, especially as a way to ease anxiety, it’s key to give yourself “space and grace,” Watson adds. You probably won’t see an overnight mental transformation, and that’s OK. “Just because you meditate or do yoga doesn’t mean you’re immune to anxiety,” Watson explains. “What it means is that you’re building up your nervous system so that when you meet the challenges in your life, you’re able to handle them that much more effectively.”
— Additional reporting by Chandler Plante
Maggie Ryan was an assistant editor at PS. A longtime runner and athlete, Maggie has nearly four years of experience covering topics in the wellness space, specializing in fitness, sports, nutrition, and mental health.
Chandler Plante is an assistant editor for PS Health & Fitness. Previously, she worked as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. In her free time, she overshares on the internet, creating content about chronic illness, beauty, and disability.