I'm going to start Yoga intensely this coming week and give it a month and see if it helps at all.
Wondering if it helps anyone with anxiety or panic attacks?
I have severe panic attacks when the Freeway slows down and I'm in a 'trap' on the Freeway. My mind starts racing to getting hit from behind, from someone who isn't paying attention to the slowdown. I'm in LA and it does happen that people get killed here on the Freeway in that situation.
But, I do need to drive the Freeways, so I'm hoping the yoga and Xanax will help me control my FLEE response.
I'm in Northern California and the few times that I have travelled to Southern California or to San Francisco in the north here, I have felt like you do on the freeways. I really am a country gal and this big city traffic is enough to cause anyone anxiety. Add that to the fact that I was rear ended on the freeway in my own hometown here (my car was totalled, but miraculously my son and I escaped injury) and I know I would feel like you do.
I started yoga classes about two months ago and I think that they are good for learning how to relax. I am 51 years old and I was born with a crooked leg, so I am very inflexible and can't do many of the poses. I can't even sit cross legged. However, I have a super nice teacher and she understands that and just encourages each person to do what they can.
This teacher constantly suggests that we relax certain muscles that may be tensing up with each yoga pose that we do. She will suggest that we allow our neck muscles to relax, for example, or, a big one for me, letting the shoulders drop and relax. I often find that mine are in a tense knot and it's been so good to let them release like that.
The benefits of learning to consciously relax muscles has been carrying over to my everyday life and I think that it will be helpful in catching myself when I'm becoming tense to take stock, regroup and relax and be better able to deal with what life throws my way.
So, yes, with a compasionate, informed teacher, I do think that Yoga is a beneficial way to head off anxiety, at least for me.
Hope that helps. Good luck and let us know if you decide to take it.
Kathryn
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Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for your information. The driving here is really insane. But I'm hopeful that with the gas price increase people will drive more conscientiously. I've heard that the police had a drastic drop in speeding tix, and they say its since the gas price increase. So thats good news for LA.
There is a great Yoga studio near me and I'm going to start today. They have several times a day you can go for a class , so I"m thinking this could really help me if I do it intensively.
So , I'm looking forward to it. I also might do more Tai Chi. I only did one class but it really did connect the body- mind - spirit. It was cool to feel my energy whizzing around and that I could control it , was something new to me.
Oh yes, Tai Chi looks really promising for that connection that you talked about. I had a friend in her late 60's that loved it. I would like to investigate that too, someday.
I liked your energy whizzing around, yet you could control it thoughts. That's what I like, being able to possibly "head 'em off at the pass", to use an old cowboy term, when it comes to troubles and anxiety stampeding at ya!
I bet you have a lot of good yoga studios down there. I just go to a little class at my gym, but was lucky to find a good teacher there. I believe it is Hatha Yoga that she teaches. I am finding out that there are different kinds of yoga.
I am looking forward to seeing if someone else will repond to your post here. It really is a good question and I would love to hear about other people's impressions about the benefits of yoga, Tai Chi, etc. in relieving stress and anxiety.
let me tell you...i looooooove yoga. to the point that i want to become an instructor, lol. at the moment, i have not been taking any classes or practicing (crazy non-pcos related reasons, but just some crazy body issues i'm having). but because of that, i can talk about the benefits that i'm not feeling at this time.
i've always had trouble sleeping..i mean, i've tried home remedies to prescriptions and never had anything help. when i do yoga, though, i definitely have an improvement with that. it's also just helped me feel less stressed and learned to be more serene. i don't mean to overstep boundaries, but i think anxiety comes when we feel like we are or can potentially be trapped in a fear-evoking or negative situation. i only say that based on my own feelings of anxiety (i have had a good number of experiences with anxiety in a lot of different situations). i think that, with a more tranquil internal state, we respond better in those types of situations. somehow, yoga also makes me a little bit more alert even though i feel more relaxed and even-tempered. so i think your situation with the freeways (i live near NYC and i hate the traffic...but i hear the traffic near you makes ours look like a walk in the park, so i certainly understand the way you feel!) can benefit with some yoga practice. not only will you be in a better state of mind to deal with the feelings you experience when you're driving, but just knowing that you're more alert will help you feel more comfortable reacting appropriately if something goes wrong. also, when we're in a more relaxed state of consciousness, our reactions to things are better. i used to have a ridiculous and somewhat irrational fear of being near the dividers when i was driving. that was during a time of my life when i was experiencing high anxieties. since then, i'm not afraid of that or anything, but i notice that when i'm driving while i'm stressed or emotional, i'm much more cautious around the dividers.
my impression is that yoga can only help you be in a clearer head and be more centered, which will in turn help you respond, both externally and emotions-wise, in a more comfortable way. i hope you like it! and i hope my little 2 cents help answer your question a little bit!
Yes, yoga helps immensely. I only wanted enlightenment at an early age and did nothing but yoga/fast/meditate/rebirthing/pranayama for 8 hours per day and 12 on the weekends. I never missed a day for over a year. I had just been raped at 19 and it took a year to realize I was ****ed up over it and I dove right into yoga and therapy, 10K in therapy and I did ALOT of rebirthing. If you want to get rid of 'no exit terror' 'I have to get out of here' feeling, get rebirthed. Peter and Dana Delong are the ones in Manhattan Beach that I recommend. They do rebirthing the old fashioned way and the only way it REALLY works.
What I used to do is this. I am a very intense person when doing spiritual practices so it's not for everyone:
Wake up at 3AM and run a very hot bath. Sit in the bath for at least 20 minutes and rebirth. (You will learn this by the first 10 sessions of rebirthing which is intense pranayama) and by the time 20 minutes has passed you will be in tetany. I would try and get out of the tub naked and go to the room which was just a yoga room with no furniture. I then did hatha yoga for 3 hours and topped it off with chanting and medition. When I did the yoga, my muscles were so limber from the hot bath that stretching was very easy, but I did the rebirthing breath thruout the yoga which is very much like a rapid continuous breath thru mouth and nose. But the breath this way is much more intense than what they teach in yoga, even in Ashtanga yoga. If you do it intensly with alot of focus, cathartic experiences will happen and you will cry thru your anxiety, but still hold the poses and breath into the anxiety. It will pass. Cry in the pose if you need to, it's purifying. After a year I had kundalini happen and it was wonderful and a curse, so I would not recommend 8 hours per day. Just 2 at the most until your ready for more. At night I would come home from work and do the same thing. I only needed 3 hours of sleep during that phase of my life because the more yoga and energy work you do, the less sleep you need because you have so much prana in your body. I had NO ANXIETY. Anyone could have spit in my face and I would have understood their pain and immediately forgiven them. Nothing was taken personal during that phase when purification was at it's high.
Just go for it, but let the anxiety come. Don't force it back, don't swallow your tears, don't stop your breath. Just cry right thru it and you will get to the other side. You will. If i had the time again and was not working 3 jobs I would do yoga like that again for at least 3 hours per day. It's so wonderful.
Oh, The good places in the LA area is YogaWorks. Also, if you can take a class from Diana Christiansen www.pacificashtanga.com in Dana Point when I lived in DP, she was my teacher last year. She is awesome. She is the only Ashtanga Yoga teacher in the area that is good with beginners. It's only a 60 mile drive, but you will love it. Do something athletically intense so the anxiety can work thru your system and out. Not a yoga that is so relaxing you are bypassing the anxiety or avoiding it. You want to purify it which means letting it surface if it comes. Let us know how it works for you. Also, yoga balances the endocrine system by stimulating nadis, which is the metaphysical pressure points as well as the organs and glands themselves. You may heal yourself. I just wish I had the time. Maybe soon.
I went to a Bikram Yoga place today near my house. I have to say it was quite intense. I'm going everyday at least once this coming week. I hope to clear out a bunch of stuck energy.
Sweetface,
the rebirthing sounds good, but I can't seem to find many people who do it near me - in Hollywood. We were doing some fast breathing at the end of our Yoga today. It was so hot in there, my face was a lobster red when I left.
But I'm willing to do what it takes to rid me of this crazy anxiety.
You know much more about this than I do, I'm just a beginner. In fact I could use some recommendations on which brands make the better Yoga tops, shorts and pants-
It was at least 105 degrees in there , and thats the protocol temperature plus a bunch of humidiers blazing along. I realize thats good for the muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Theres nothing quite like a wall length mirror to make you face your figure. WOW! I don't feel that large. Funny how 26 pounds can seem normal even when you gain it all in one year.
Man!
The good news is that Yoga is supposed to correct all of the endocrine glands if you do it at least three times a week. Long road ahead to fitting into my wordrobe again. Thats my main upset with the weight. I spent years upon years creating my wardrobe and I will fit in it again.
I could definetly use some rebirthing, I'm also looking into massages- deep tissue. I think those should help release some other stopped energies wrecking havoc.
I went to a Bikram Yoga place today near my house. I have to say it was quite intense. I'm going everyday at least once this coming week. I hope to clear out a bunch of stuck energy.
Sweetface,
the rebirthing sounds good, but I can't seem to find many people who do it near me - in Hollywood. We were doing some fast breathing at the end of our Yoga today. It was so hot in there, my face was a lobster red when I left.
But I'm willing to do what it takes to rid me of this crazy anxiety.
You know much more about this than I do, I'm just a beginner. In fact I could use some recommendations on which brands make the better Yoga tops, shorts and pants-
It was at least 105 degrees in there , and thats the protocol temperature plus a bunch of humidiers blazing along. I realize thats good for the muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Theres nothing quite like a wall length mirror to make you face your figure. WOW! I don't feel that large. Funny how 26 pounds can seem normal even when you gain it all in one year.
Man!
The good news is that Yoga is supposed to correct all of the endocrine glands if you do it at least three times a week. Long road ahead to fitting into my wordrobe again. Thats my main upset with the weight. I spent years upon years creating my wardrobe and I will fit in it again.
I could definetly use some rebirthing, I'm also looking into massages- deep tissue. I think those should help release some other stopped energies wrecking havoc.
Good for you! I hate to dog on Bikram and I know I've mentioned Bikram before as a yoga to do, but ONLY if you do not have a heat intolerance. Here's the reason why I don't like bikram, when doing yoga correctly like in ashtanga you cannot finish the class if its over 75 degrees because you work up youe own heat internally, not externally. Your body learns the correct form (to actually work on your endocrine system) and your body works more efficiently. With bikram, the 100 degree room, is NEVER found in India. Its a western thing. I know lots of sadhus, swamis and renunciates. They would never do heated rooms unless it was naturally hot. Also, when rooms are hot, your body can function optimally to get the poses correct at all unless they are easy poses. I had kundalini rise, I cannot do heated rooms now other wise I run the risk of severe imbalance-the curse of kundalini-rashes and 101 tempuratures that don't go down....anyway, be careful with bikram. Breathing is fine, but I can guarantee no yoga class will be a rebierthing session. www.clarity.org is Peter and Dana's site. Peter is a great rebirther. Louise, my good friend was in W hollywood but passed lasy year. Sondra ray, the leader of the movement with LenOrr is in MDR, but Peter is outstanding. Let me repeat, Peter is worth the cash. Get 10 sessions. Try as best you can to do 10. 1 or 3 is just the tip of the iceburg, even 10 is just the tip.
Send me a pm and I'll give you my number and we can chat.
I had to take two breaks from the yoga room, not only was it 105 but there were several humidifiers on in there. My face was beet red and I was starting to feel sick to my stomcah in there. I'll see if it gets better with more sessions. Otherwise in LA there are many yoga places and varieties to check out.
For the rebirthing is there anyone in LA? I have a fear of the freeway as well, and avoid as much freeway driving as possible.
I went to a Bikram Yoga place today near my house. I have to say it was quite intense. I'm going everyday at least once this coming week. I hope to clear out a bunch of stuck energy..
One of the reasons I moved from LA was the traffic. I didn't get panic attacks, but it would really do a number on me.
I'm in the minority here, but I LOVE bikram yoga, and recently started it again, last week.
I'm also very heat intolerant, and known for fainting when i get too dehydrated...
BUT...I LOVE Bikram. (I'm not sure if anyone's been to India, but it's pretty hot there. When I was in Thailand, it was 105 degrees by 10am, and the temps only went up from there. People do yoga in those temps with no problem.)
Once you start going, you adjust to the heat very quickly (by the 3rd or 4th class). By the 6th or 7th class, it's not even uncomfortable...in fact, it feels good.
The effect on my moods is great, and I'm MUCH more calm...and I sleep better. And my skin looks great from all of that sweating.
Of the types of yoga I've tried (which isn't many), Bikram is my favorite.
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See? Bikram is liked by some and intolerable by others. The best way is to do it and find out on your own. Yes, india has severly humid and hot weather and sadhus are found in every neck of the woods and jungle olding poses for hours, but they were born and raised there. My ex is from Kerala and slept in trees with moneys since he was a shaman and he cannot tolerate cold. 70 degrees is cold for him. It depends on your constitution, the normal climate you live in and all that.
The best way to get to Manhattan Beach is to take El Segundo all the way down I think to Torrance and cross over to Redondo Beach taking all side streets. LA is a huge grid.
Call Diana at Pacific Ashtanga in DP. She will know who to refer you too. She's taught everywhere.
The most important thing in yoga is doing the posture correctly so your body benefits from the bending and manipulation of organs and glands. I hear bikram is done slowly and if you are in that kind of heat, I would hope so. I recently moved to Sacramento where there is hardly any Asthanga and so I tried power yoga. It was like a sloppy ashtanga yoga in 93 degree's. Ashtanga flows fast, so it was a useless class because they don't do proper poses either on top of doing poses fast with too high heat. I'm a perfectionist.
Peter Delong might have workshops in Hollywood. Call him. I'm a rebirther too, have been for 17 years. I'm heading down there in July. Maybe I can give you a rebirthing session. Bill Chapelle is another great rebirther in Snata Monica. He's anMFC and he works with his wife. Me and dd rebirthed eeachother every Saturday for 2 years. They are wonderful ppl. PM me and I will give you their number.
I hear bikram is done slowly and if you are in that kind of heat, I would hope so.
Bikram isn't a 'flow' yoga (ie you don't move from one pose to another), so speed isn't an issue.
Instead you get into a pose and hold it...then you return to a neutral relaxed position and stay there for a few moments before starting a new pose.
Actually, one of the reasons Bikram heated the room is because in India, poses were, in fact, done in that type of heat, and a warmer environment warms your muscles and naturally increases your flexibility.
I'm about as heat intolerant as they come, but as I mentioned above, I completely ajusted after a few classes. (I still 'feel' the heat, and I still 'sweat', but I'm not at all uncomfortable, anymore...)
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I've been so absorbedin vinyasa lately I think of faster paces in heat and I'm aghast. I know my ex who is from kerala where its hot and humid doesn't recommend bikram but if its slow and like you said, its very possible then. Makes me want try it just so I know, but that Power Yoga which is vinyasa with 93 degree heat was rediculous. No one was doing poses incorrect form.
I did a lot of rebirthing in 105 degree water with head submerged so heat is great for muscles and getting you into positions, and purifying. That's why I'd rebirth in hot water before doing hatha yoga. Heat works but it can be too much sometimes.
Do they do ujayii breathing all thru a bikram session like in ashtnga? Just curious..
...its slow and like you said, its very possible then. Makes me want try it just so I know...
"Slow" would even be a description that is too fast. It's a "still" yoga.
You stand still, and then get into posture and hold the posture. Then you release the posture and stand still... You do each posture 2x, and then move onto the next.
The first 45 minutes are all standing. The last 45 are all on the floor.
During the last 45 minutes, after each pose, you then do corpse pose (instead of standing still)
[quote=Sweetface;18892415640Do they do ujayii breathing all thru a bikram session like in ashtnga? Just curious..[/QUOTE]
The class starts with Pranayama breathing, and ends with Khapalbhati breathing. During the class, breathing is addressed, but not in the same way as other yoga classes.
Also, in Bikram, no matter where you go the exercises, and sequence of exercises is always exactly the same 26 exercises.
Yoga- does it help anyone out there? 
Kathryn
