Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.  Feelings of anxiety can lurk in the background, or they can seem to pop out of nowhere.  Either way, anxiety is unpleasant and its causes are not always easy to pinpoint. 

There are methods based on yoga and meditation that are helpful for managing anxiety.  Since our emotions are directly reflected in our breathing (think about how you breathe when you are angry or upset), we can directly impact how we feel through controlling our breath.  Thus, one method of controlling anxiety is to examine and control the breath. To do this, close your eyes, and focus your attention on your breath.  Notice its rhythm. Notice its texture.  Notice if it is deep or shallow.  Slowly, begin to intentionally deepen and lengthen your inhales and exhales, without forcing it.  The idea is to take deeper breaths, but not so deep that you feel light headed. Breathe this way for 1-2 minutes and notice how your feel as a result.  To learn more about this technique, a certified yoga instructor would be able to help.
Similar to our breath, the way we hold our bodies reflects our thoughts and feelings.  Anxiety causes the body to tense up. A second method that helps control anxiety is a regular relaxation practice. If you have ever gone to a yoga class, you may have experienced a guided relaxation at the end of class. Two relaxation techniques that can help with anxiety are tension/relaxation, where specific areas of the body are intentionally tensed and relaxed, and progressive relaxation, where muscular tension is intentionally relaxed sequentially from head to toe.  This may be done alone, with an instructor, or by listening to a recording.  Click here for a guided relaxation recording.

When we are anxious, our minds are focused on worrying about a future that does not exist. Thus, a third method that helps control anxiety is mantra meditation, where the mind is focused on a mantra, or sound.  This takes the mind away from the future and into the present moment. Here is an article on how to practice meditation https://yogainternational.com/article/view/how-to-meditate
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When practiced on a regular basis, the three methods described help to control anxiety, and reduce its impact on the body and mind.  For more information, please contact us.

​Have you ever wanted to make a change or accomplish something,  but gave up because it seems too overwhelming?  You may feel that is unique to you, however the truth is that most people go through this  from time to time, and sometimes quite regularly.  This often happens when we think of accomplishments in a black and white, or all or nothing way.

​We use a technique that we call the Ten Percent Rule. With this, instead of thinking of a change, accomplishment or goal as all or nothing, we help our clients think of improvement in ten percent segments. So rather than perceiving 100% improvement as the only option for success, they shift their definition of success to be a ten percent improvement. What follows is another ten percent, and another, so there is always continuous improvement.

​So, the next time you are feeling overwhelmed with completing a task or making a change, ask yourself "how can I make a ten percent improvement right now?", and notice what answers your mind comes up with. 

Your life is a sum of your experiences. The way your life feels is the result of the meaning you place on the events in your life, in other words, how you perceive your outer world.  Your mind is amazingly and endlessly powerful.  You can make major, positive changes in your life simply by exploring your inner world and making tweaks and adjustments.  What happens on the outside starts on the inside!  

What you focus on will grow. In other words, what you think about determines how you feel.  The first step in learning how to harness the power of your mind is to become aware of what you are thinking about throughout the day. One way to do this is notice how you are feeling at any particular point in time – for example, sad, happy, frustrated, free, etc.

Once you put a label on how you feel, then ask yourself what you are thinking about.  This exercise will clue you in to what your habitual thoughts are and how they make you feel. This is the first step to self-awareness and making impactful changes in your life.  

Two of the best methods for tuning in to your own mind are meditation and hypnosis.  Both of these enable you to ‘step away’ from your thoughts and gain an objective view of your thoughts.  These are powerful, effective techniques to start you on a journey toward the changes you want to
make in your life.

When life seems overwhelming, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to let go of what we are hanging on to. The problem is, sometimes we don’t realize we are hanging on.  One sign to look for is an endless cycle of thoughts that get you nowhere other than where you began.  Another is physical symptoms. Our bodies are always talking to us.  Have you ever woken up with a stiff neck, yet there is no apparent reason for it? If you look a little deeper, often you will find you had a particularly stressful or challenging week.  These signs are our minds and bodies telling us to ‘back off’.  Instead of obsessing over the same problem over and over (which only makes things worse), try taking a walk, calling a friend, or doing something 'out of the box'. And always apply the 80/20 rule:  spend 20% of the time figuring out what the problem is, and 80% on resolving it.    Anything that is out of your control is best just tossed away.  Ask yourself - what am I holding on to?  What can I do TODAY to simplify?

Do you ever get stuck in your head, wrapped up in endless thinking that leads you nowhere but more confused than when you started? Or it may lead you down a path of sadness, fear, anger, or another negative emotion.  Most of us know that thinking over and over about an unsolvable problem is useless and a drain on our energy. Then why do we do it, and how can we stop?  As human beings, we are wired to want to figure things out.  When there is something that is unexplainable, our brains sometimes don’t know how to handle it.  That’s how our thinking can work against us. The way through this is to learn to let go of useless thinking patterns. 

There are various methods to do this. One very effective way is through meditation. Meditation is the process of focusing the conscious mind (the part of us that thinks and analyzes), on one point of focus. This is similar to giving a kitten something to play with so she doesn’t climb up the curtains.  With our minds, this keeps the thinking part on one object so that we can become a silent observer of our thoughts. Over time we can see more clearly our thinking patterns, and be in a position of power to change them.

Another effective method is hypnosis. In hypnosis, the conscious, thinking part of our minds is on the backburner, and our subconscious is at the forefront. In this state we can teach ourselves to literally let go of thoughts we don’t want to keep thinking about.  Then, when in a conscious state, we can re-access the hypnotic experience and let go of unhelpful thinking patterns. 

Your mind is powerful. Through meditation and hypnosis, you can harness its power to make positive changes in your life.

Sometimes we get stuck in the middle ground of ‘should I – shouldn’t I’, unable to make a decision.  It is important to think through decisions carefully, especially big impact important ones.   However overanalyzing can be counter-productive. This can come into play with decisions such as changing jobs, moving to another city, trying something new, etc.  The other aspect that can work against us is getting bogged down in fear or the ‘why nots’.  This can happen with health related goals such as weight loss, quitting smoking, starting an exercise program, etc.  Sometimes it’s best to stop thinking, let go, take the leap and go for it. Just decide, and DO!