Today’s fast pace society puts us all at risk to panic and anxiety attacks.  I know from personal experience anxiety and panic attacks can feel extremely debilitating and happen to anyone.  Even though I consider myself a calm and collected person, I still fell victim to them in my younger years.  I was lucky because I knew techniques that would help me calm down and get through them.  Frequent exercise, yoga, and eating healthy have helped me manage them and have nearly gotten rid of them.

A few months ago, a woman joined my yoga class and asked if I knew any sequences of poses to relieve panic attacks.  She wanted to manage them without prescription medication.  Lucky for her, I had personal experience and was able to show her the sequence of poses I would use.  There are yoga poses and sequences to aid in just about every ailment.

After a couple months practicing yoga, she saw improvement but still consulted a doctor about the matter.  They told her the panic attacks were due to the hormonal imbalance of perimenopause and that physical activity, eating healthy, and natural supplements would help as well.
Here are a few of the poses I used and suggest to others dealing with panic attacks, stress, and menopause.  Make sure you listen to your body, take it slow, and focus on your breathing.

• Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) - Stay in this pose anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds. Release as you exhale, and lie quietly for a few breaths. You can repeat the pose once or twice more.


• Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) - Stay in the pose anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Release with an exhalation, rolling the spine slowly down onto the floor.


• Cat Pose (Marjaryasana) - This pose is often paired with Cow Pose (Bitilasana) Cow pose on the inhale, cat on the exhale.  Create a gentle flowing vinyasa.



• Cow Pose (Bitilasana) - See Cat Pose


• Extended Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana) - Hold for 30 seconds to a minute.


• Easy Pose (Sukhasana) - You can stay in Sukhasana for as long as you like.  Just breathe and relax.


The physical symptoms of panic and anxiety attacks such as tension, tightness, and pain sensitivity can be very uncomfortable.  These yoga poses, asanas, will help ease the physical discomfort and help release built-up muscle tension and stiffness.

Panic attacks and anxiety don’t have to take over your life, take it into your hands to be proactive in suppressing the symptoms.

Namaste

Living a positive life rubs off on those around you.  Today while I was going for a jog in the park, I saw an older gentleman struggling to get off a bench.  I stopped and helped him stand up and make sure he was okay.  He was so gracious that I came to his aid.  As I walked beside him while he was strolling out of the park, he began sharing a story with me.  He told me how his wife and he came to the park every day for the past 25 years to watch the sunrise with coffee in hand to begin their day.  He told me how he was so lucky to have had such a wonderful wife.  He proceeded to tell me she had passed away a week ago but continued coming to the park to begin his day with her.  As we approached the park exit, he told me if I wouldn’t have come over to the bench to help him, he wasn’t sure if anyone would have stopped.  As we parted ways he gave me a giant hug and said that because of my kindness I made his day, he would try paying it forward to someone that needed a smile that day.

As he walked down the street, I thought about how just a little positive action can generate so much happiness for someone feeling down.  Having a positive attitude and helping others is something everyone should strive to have.  I focus on living in the moment and spreading positivity where ever I go through action.



Being positive and happy doesn’t mean you have to ignore the pain or emotions in that moment, but instead embrace that specific feeling with an open and loving heart.  Learning to deal with pain and angst with positive energy is a very powerful emotional mechanism.  Everything happens for a reason and keeping a positive attitude though the tough times, produces spiritual growth.

Positivity begins from within.  When we fill our mind with beautiful thoughts, the world becomes a beautiful place.  I find happiness and positive energy through physical, mental and emotional wellness.  When I engage in a regular wellness activities I feel my stress and anxiety from the world subside and my optimistic vitality increase.



If everyone was to take time for themselves to understand how to embrace feelings and emotions, the world would be a positive place.  But, to get to that point, it only takes one person to begin the cycle.  When I helped the older gentlemen at the park, he wanted to spread his new found positivity with someone else, and hopefully they will want to as well.  Let’s begin a chain of positive energy and brighten each day.
Namaste

Life is meant to be lived, not watched.  My teenage nephew was so baffled when he came to our house the other day and saw that we only had a little out of date TV in our family room.  He was even more shocked when he turned it on and only two channels were broadcasted.  Today’s generations are consumed by constant media access.  I believe that sitting in front of a TV for hours wastes precious time that could be spent having intelligent conversations, doing something active, or experiencing new things.  I live my spiritual life without the constant distraction of television.  After my nephew left, I thought about why I don’t watch television and how it helps connect myself with my sanctity.

Growing up as a gymnast, most of my free time was spent at the gym practicing.  Then when I was in school, studying left little to no time for myself, and when I found a spirituality through yoga, I recognized that sitting in front of a TV was mindless behavior I didn’t need in my life.



If you don’t use it, you lose it.  For me, it is necessary to keep mind, body, and spirit active and healthy.  I strive to challenge my mind every day, engaging in various activities and avoid mindless behavior.

It wasn’t difficult to eliminate TV from my life.  Sitting on the couch watching monotonous television is a mind-numbing past time that I would rather do without.  I feel like it distracts me from the world around and l begin lose awareness of my surroundings.  I make it a priority to focus on myself and feeling centered with the earth. 

 I found some interesting facts online that astounded me, I’m sure they will shock you too:

·         Unhappy people watch approximately 30 percent more television each week than happy people.

·         People who are generally happy, spend more time with friends, discuss engaging topics, and participate in physical fitness activities.

·         Watching TV for long periods of time is linked to lower life satisfaction and higher anxiety.

There have been many studies behind the negative effects of watching television.  Television does not stimulate my mind, body, or spirit, so I do not take part in watching.  I thrive in creative situations that stimulate new knowledge.  TV robs us of our creativity.  There are so many other positive things that I can do that keep my mind and body strong.

I have decided to live my own life rather than watch others live theirs.  Consider the pros and cons on how minimalizing or even cutting TV out of your life can impact your well-being.  Take the challenge, live your life and engage your mind.

Namaste


Anita