We’ve internalised the idea that anxiety is something to get rid of, something that’s not OK to feel or express. 

What if we shifted our perception and saw anxiety as a way for our body to get our attention? Sheryl Paul talks about anxiety as a gift and a messenger, and I LOVE her approach.
I think that’s also what drew me to Yoga Therapy.

The idea that there’s nothing wrong with us, there are no “disorders”. We are whole just as we are and we have layers of “stuff” that clouds our whole self. Through yoga therapy we remove the layers to return to our self. 

Your experience of anxiety can be felt through your body and breath. Are you aware of these sensations? I have a great practice to start re-connecting with your body and learn to notice more subtle sensations: https://yogawithannelaure.com/on-being-in-your-body/

Remember it is a practice – and it can take time.

Once we notice a sensation in our body,

tightness in your chest
relaxed right shoulder
numbness in your lower back
headache
etc

we often have automatic responses to what we feel or don’t feel or associate a story to it: 

*I shouldn’t feel like this*
*what’s wrong with me?*
*I’m going to feel this way forever*
*why can’t I just be happy?*
*I’m going to embarrass myself*
*maybe I shouldn’t go through with this*
etc

I often share with my students that at this point we can make a choice – keep following the story OR come back to noticing the breath and body.

Meditation and yoga offer great tools to consistently practice this and create a space between what we feel and how we respond. That space is how we can witness our experience and understand its messages.