20 Minutes Of This Exercise Is Better For Anxiety Than Prescription Medication

Aug 03, 2018

Everyone has been told time and time again that exercise has many benefits to our physical and mental health. If you exercise regularly, it’s likely that you’ve seen the positive impact for yourself. Activity in the form of exercise gives us a much-needed escape from hectic daily routines and allows us to become healthy and strong.

People who perform yoga regularly are well-aware of the positive outcomes that can come from this form of exercise. The integration of both mind and body that comes from yoga can be extremely beneficial for quieting our minds from anxiety and becoming aware of softer sensations.

If you’re unsure of where to start, become acquainted with the benefits and a couple of yoga poses that will positively impact your life and decrease your anxiety levels.

Doctors and co-workers from the Boston University School of Medicine performed research that compared benefits of both walking and yoga. Participants of the study were gathered into two groups that either exercised by walking or doing yoga for twelve weeks. They did their designated activities three times a week for an hour each time. Their mood levels and anxiety were documented throughout the experience. From this research, those who conducted the study concluded that yoga was more helpful in reducing anxiety and boosting moods. They also found that those who performed yoga instead of walking had higher levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

An additional study, from the University Of Utah tried to link yoga and the body’s stress response by measuring the participant's pain levels. 42 participants were gathered. 12 were experienced students of yoga, 14 people had fibromyalgia, and 16 of the participants were healthy individuals. Stress response was determined by putting various degrees of pressure on the participants. The study concluded that those who were yoga students actually had the highest pain tolerance and lowest response to pain out of the entire group.

These studies and others have proven that yoga helps release feel-good chemicals throughout the brain. When it comes to the reduction of anxiety, boosting your mood with these chemicals is key. The studies also note that yoga helps regulate our responses to pain and increase our GABA levels.

When it comes to prescription drugs, they also increase our GABA levels, but yoga can do the same without the negative side effects that come with taking medication. Yoga is the better option for decreasing anxiety and stress.

Yoga Poses To Reduce Anxiety

This pose will help reduce tension in your neck, shoulders, and back while allowing for relaxation and heightened body sensations. Start this pose by getting on your hands and knees. Allow your big toes to touch, and keep your arms extended while your legs are hip-width apart. Fall forward, and exhale in the process. Keep your abdomen between your thighs, and rest your head on the mat. Press your buttocks into the heels of your feet while allowing your arms to remain extended. Focus on breathing slowly and deeply, and perform the pose for as long as you want.

This pose allows your body to increase concentration levels with a focus on balancing. Start with parting your feet at the hip distance. Tilt your weight onto your right leg. Bend the left knee while pressing the bottom of your left foot to reach the inside of your right thigh. Point your toes downward, and keep your abdomen facing forward. Reach your hands into a position of prayer over your chest. Look forward or to the ceiling. Hold this position for 3 deep breaths before alternating sides.

By increasing stimulation in your torso, this pose is effective at relieving anxiety and improving digestion, balance, and posture but can be more difficult to perform.

Start with your feet distanced at a hip width, turn to your left and then widen your entire stance to approximately 4 feet wide. Point the toes of your right foot to the front of your mat. Bend at the right knee, while keeping your pelvis as well as your torso centered. Next, raise your arms up and press all of your weight onto your right foot. While you do this, tilt your left leg backward and your torso to the front. At this point, the upper half of your body should be parallel to the floor. Keep your arms out as you point your left foot out. Then, straighten the right leg, while keeping your eyes on the floor. Hold this pose for 3 breaths before alternating sides.

This pose is not for beginners but can help boost your mood, lower your heart rate, decrease blood pressure, and can even detoxify your adrenal glands by increasing blood flow in the head.

Begin on your hands and knees. Arms should be shoulder width apart. Lock both of your hands together with your pinkies touching the ground. The crown of your head should be on the ground with your fingers interlocked behind it. Next, tuck in your toes while lifting your hips as high as possible, beginning to allow your feet to walk up towards your abdomen. Use your ab muscles to lift yourself off the floor, keeping forearms firmly on the mat. Your feet should be straight over your shoulders, with your legs eventually becoming straight. If this is too challenging, use a wall for more stability. You can hold this pose as long as you feel comfortable, resting in child’s pose afterward.

The viparita karani is a pose used in restorative yoga. Its helpful for relieving symptoms of anxiety and relaxation. Many people use this pose to reduce back pain or menstrual cramps. This pose can be performed with a pillow underneath your lower back. Begin sitting near a wall. Walk your legs up the wall until they are absolutely straight, keeping your buttocks firmly against the base of the wall. Rest your shoulders and your head on your mat. Allow yourself to relax, closing your eyes for as long as you need to in this pose.

Yoga can be intimidating for a beginner, but utilizing these century-old techniques can help relieve anxiety and provide benefits for both your mind and body. These poses can help alleviate many of the problems you encounter from having a stressful day. What pose looks the most interesting to you? Are you thinking about incorporating yoga into your exercise routine?

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!