Anxiety is something we all suffer from at one time or other. In the book “Yoga As Medicine” by Timothy McCall, there is a quote by Rolf Sovic in which he says “There is no one who doesn’t have the feeling of anxiety at some point in their life. There is 100% incidence. As inevitable as anxiety is for all of us, some people experience it with an intensity that can seriously undermine their health.”
So, the question is, if we all experience anxiety, how do we do so in a way that is not detrimental to our health and wellness.
First, we need to understand what are the gunas in ayurveda (laws of creation) according to the yoga and Ayurveda texts and how they relate to the body & mind. They are 3 main ones are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.
A sattvic state of body and mind are determined by the following attributes: Clean, still, pure, light, subtle, calm, perceptive, tolerant of opposites, strong agni (digestive and mental fire), little ama (toxins), and a balanced ayurvedic constitution
A rajasic sate of body and mind have the following characteristics: restless, agitated, aggressive, assertive, willful, ego driven, makes efforts for personal gain only, high or variable agni (digestive and mental fire), excess doshas mainly pitta dosha and vata dosha.
A tamasic state of body and mind include the following qualities: heaviness, stiff, inflexible, dull mined, incapable of making efforts, low agni (digestive and mental fire), accumulation of ama (toxins), excess doshas mainly kapha dosha.
The role of classical yoga is to create sattva guna in the body and mind and to reduce rajasic and tamasic qualities. This is because only the state of sattva can facilitate higher yogic states and energies.
Practicing yoga in a sattvic way is not easy for most people since we live in a culture of stimulation and entertainment of which most exercise systems are part of.
People want to move, sweat, and get a great workout. The problem is that such rajasic approaches to exercise and yoga does not create a still, calm and centered body & mind. It also does not remove the underlying state of tamas (emptiness and dullness) but covers it temporarily.
Therefore, asanas or yoga postured can be performed in a slow and steady manner to achieve balance and equilibrium. This allows for healing to take place. When a body is in the state of sattva – moving slowly with more awareness, the mind becomes centered and more focused. One’s personality also becomes cool, calm and composed.
When we practice yoga in a more sattvic way, it prepares ourselves to handle any fearful or anxious states that arise. Essentially, we begin to eliminate anxiety and begin to feel freedom from suffering.
A yoga practice should also be balanced which means if there are more rajasic, assertive movements, then surrendering and practicing in a slow relaxed way is necessary. It is important to include breath-work and meditation
Finding that calmness and stillness balances our internal energies and allows the toxins from the body to come forth and be released rather than circulating and accumulating throughout the body. When the body, pranas (internal energies) and mind are calm then there is peace, content, and joy. Thus, anxiety has less of a grip on us.
This is very important in yoga and Ayurveda as it promotes physical and mental health.
Keep in mind, a yoga asana practice is not always enough to achieve a sattvic body and mind. It can be achieved through a yogic and ayurvedic lifestyle such as diet and nutrition. Consuming the right foods and herbs according to Ayurveda can benefit you tremendously.
In my online course Yoga for Stress, Anxiety and Depression as well as the live workshop series – Yoga for Balance & Mental Health, we cover all the essential tools (including diet & herbs) and give you a complete step by step blueprint for achieving mental resiliency and emotional well-being.