TS03: Taking Anxiety from Enemy to Ally with Yoga Therapy

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TS03: Taking Anxiety from Enemy to Ally with Yoga Therapy

Speaker bio: Antonio Sausys, MA, CMT, C-IAYT

Anxiety is the fear of being incapable or unable to face an impending circumstance or event. As an informant, this normal emotion enhances preparedness, diminishes risk, and promotes safety. But when it leads to excessive nervousness, apprehension, and worry, anxiety becomes a mental disorder that, if mild, might be vague and unsettling or, if severe, may seriously affect day-to-day living.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting 40 million adults every year. Recent COVID-related restrictions have tested our capabilities, while the now-obvious devastating effects of climate change pose clear questions about our future. It is important to develop adequate resources so we can trust our resilience during these anxious times.

Our feelings inform us of how we experience our lives, how we relate to others, and ultimately who we are. In turn, they influence our decision-making process, determining how we behave. But when a feeling ceases to be an informant and becomes a driver, we are ushered into dysfunction, trapped on an emotional hamster wheel. Gaining the benefits of anxiety while avoiding the pitfalls requires managing and regulating it to build a conditioned response that occurs automatically with anxiety-arousal—a response that automatically focuses attention on improvement. Such a skill takes practice, precisely what yoga provides!

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze information about anxiety and four specific steps for processing it.
2. Understand and practice targeted yoga tools for application in the most common anxiety-related challenges.

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