Anti Anxiety Yoga
The Prison Phoenix Trust is a UK based charity providing prisoners with yoga and meditation classes, individual mentoring, peer-support and specialist educational resources accessible to a wide range of learning abilities.
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Anti Anxiety Yoga
All of us have times in our lives when we feel tense, nervous, worried and frightened. We might feel overwhelmed by the thoughts that keep going around in our head or by events in our lives that are facing us. Some of the time we sense an ability to get through troubling times, and that we can come through the anxiety. If you don’t sense that right now, please know that it is true. It is a knowing that can get stronger. The yoga postures and movements shown here won’t necessarily change your external circumstances, but they can help “put you in a headspace” where you can deal smoothly and effectively with what’s happening to you. All of us, you especially, have intelligence and vision to see the way through times of internal trouble. The key is in the breath, so do these postures slowly and concentrate on your breathing the whole time. Give it a good try and I guarantee you will feel better!
Position 1: Neutral sit
Sit on the floor or your bed, with your legs crossed like this. If that’s uncomfortable, sit upright on a chair. Breathe through the nose if you can and focus on the feeling of the breath in your nose. Make the breaths deep, slow, and all the same length as each other. Do this for 20 breaths.
Position 2: Forward bend
Bend over and hang like this, with your hands holding the opposite elbow. Nod your head a few times and relax your neck as much as you can. Do this for 5 slow breaths. If you’ve had any back trouble recently, bend your knees a little bit.
Position 3: Sphynx
Lie on your front and prop your elbows under your shoulders. Look forward, with your neck tall and strong. Your hips and legs stay connected to the floor. Hold for five slow breaths.
Position 4: Child's pose
Sit on your feet and rest your forehead on the floor. Stay like this for 10 long, slow breaths. If your head doesn’t reach the floor, prop it up with your fists or a pillow. This is a great pose to go into any time when you can’t sleep.
Position 5: Knees to chest
Lie on your back. As you breathe in, let your knees drift away from you slightly, straightening the elbows. As you breathe out, hug them close to your chest. Do this 10 times, slowly with your breathing.
Position 6: Savasana
Now lie on your back, legs and arms out to the side a little, palms face up. Relax fully into the pose, and keep your attention on your breathing. Lie like this for 5 minutes, or longer if you want, just focusing on each breath and letting the body relax as much as it can.
All of us have times in our lives when we feel tense, nervous, worried and frightened. We might feel overwhelmed by the thoughts that keep going around in our head or by events in our lives that are facing us. Some of the time we sense an ability to get through troubling times, and that we can come through the anxiety. If you don’t sense that right now, please know that it is true. It is a knowing that can get stronger. The yoga postures and movements shown here won’t necessarily change your external circumstances, but they can help “put you in a headspace” where you can deal smoothly and effectively with what’s happening to you. All of us, you especially, have intelligence and vision to see the way through times of internal trouble. The key is in the breath, so do these postures slowly and concentrate on your breathing the whole time. Give it a good try and I guarantee you will feel better!
Position 1: Neutral sit
Sit on the floor or your bed, with your legs crossed like this. If that’s uncomfortable, sit upright on a chair. Breathe through the nose if you can and focus on the feeling of the breath in your nose. Make the breaths deep, slow, and all the same length as each other. Do this for 20 breaths.
Position 2: Forward bend
Bend over and hang like this, with your hands holding the opposite elbow. Nod your head a few times and relax your neck as much as you can. Do this for 5 slow breaths. If you’ve had any back trouble recently, bend your knees a little bit.
Position 3: Sphynx
Lie on your front and prop your elbows under your shoulders. Look forward, with your neck tall and strong. Your hips and legs stay connected to the floor. Hold for five slow breaths.
Position 4: Child's pose
Sit on your feet and rest your forehead on the floor. Stay like this for 10 long, slow breaths. If your head doesn’t reach the floor, prop it up with your fists or a pillow. This is a great pose to go into any time when you can’t sleep.
Position 5: Knees to chest
Lie on your back. As you breathe in, let your knees drift away from you slightly, straightening the elbows. As you breathe out, hug them close to your chest. Do this 10 times, slowly with your breathing.
Position 6: Savasana
Now lie on your back, legs and arms out to the side a little, palms face up. Relax fully into the pose, and keep your attention on your breathing. Lie like this for 5 minutes, or longer if you want, just focusing on each breath and letting the body relax as much as it can.
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