Three Pillars for Anxiety Relief Using Yoga Therapy

Pranic Regulation, Grounding & Embodiment, Trust & Surrender

1. Pranic Regulation (Lifeforce Energy)

In yoga therapy, anxiety is often understood as a vata imbalance. Vata is a concept from Ayurveda, yoga’s “sister science,” and is associated with air and ether elements.

Since anxiety tends to create restlessness, instability, and a sense of being ungrounded, we can think of it as a kind of pranic dysregulation. Prana—the vital life force energy, closely tied to the breath—is a function of vata. When vata is out of balance, prana can become scattered, depleted, or uncontained.

One of the primary ways we address this in yoga therapy is by using specific types of asana practice to help re-align—or, as my teacher says, re-home—prana.

One simple and effective technique is to connect movement with breath. For example: inhale, arms rise; exhale, arms lower. This pattern can be used to link many types of poses together. Synchronizing movement with breath creates a sense of rhythm and presence and slows and steadies the breathing pattern, helping calm the nervous system. Breathwork practices can also be beneficial for this.

Balancing postures offer another way to realign prana. These poses refocus the mind and promote a feeling of groundedness. Think of Tree Pose or Warrior III—not as a test of strength or flexibility, but as a way to gently invite the mind back into the body. The aim isn’t to challenge balance too much, but just enough that you have to stay present.

2. Grounding & Embodiment

Another key approach is using grounding postures—poses that bring us closer to the earth and encourage a subtle inward draw. These include Child’s Pose, forward folds, and Cobra Pose. For instance, in a seated forward fold, you might begin with movement (inhale arms rise, exhale fold) before holding the posture for a few steady breaths.

One of Asana’s superpowers is the cultivation of interoceptive awareness—the ability to sense internal bodily sensations. Anxiety can impact this in two ways: Some people become disconnected from their bodies, while others become hyper-aware of bodily sensations and misinterpret them. Yoga helps recalibrate this system.

By practicing poses with mindful attention, we learn to notice sensations without judgment. This helps widen the window of tolerance—our capacity to stay present with discomfort—and strengthens our ability to perceive neutral or pleasant sensations. This kind of embodied resilience is powerful for managing anxiety.

3. Trust Building & Surrender

You might say that the opposite of anxiety is trust—trust in ourselves, in others, and the unfolding of our lives. At the root of anxiety is often fear or a sense that things are going wrong, leading to catastrophizing, hypervigilance, and the feeling that the ground beneath us is constantly shifting.

Learning to trust ourselves also involves connecting to something deeper than the thinking mind, which we are all attached to as humans. In yoga, we use meditation and other practices to quiet the mental chatter so we can access that deeper part of us—the steady, unchanging presence that’s always been there. This inner self is untouched by external circumstances and is a wellspring of peace and ease.

Of course, this is an ongoing, non-linear journey. We start by reconnecting with the body and learning to witness our sensations, thoughts, and emotions with curiosity and acceptance. From there, we can create space between our awareness and those passing experiences, and rest more and more in our true self.

Surrender is often misunderstood. It’s not about giving up—it’s about letting go of what we can’t control so we can focus our energy on what we can. Constantly trying to control everything is exhausting and ultimately ineffective. In this sense, surrender is about leaning into a deeper source of support. It’s not weakness—it’s wisdom.

I say that as someone who works with surrender daily (and not always well). It’s not about perfecting the process but committing to it. Over time, and with practice, it does get easier. If you can get even glimpses of what it feels like to release control and the lightness that comes with it, you start to understand how surrender is powerful. It's stringing a few a-ha moments together with consistent willingness to stay with it and explore.

In the spirit of nonduality, the true self is understood to be one with the divine universal consciousness, the source of all that is. Yes, this can sound esoteric (especially from a Western perspective), but it’s also deeply empowering. This understanding can be a balm for a scattered, anxious life.

And here’s the key: you don’t need to do anything to access this truth. You simply shed the layers of misunderstanding that keep you feeling separate from it, which is also a surrender practice. When we recognize our oneness with this infinite, loving presence, we loosen the grip of fear, worry, and doubt. In its place, we find peace.

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For more information on yoga therapy, please visit my website at www.infinitebreathyogatherapy.com