According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 4% of the global population currently experience an anxiety disorder. In 2019, 301 million people in the world had an anxiety disorder, making anxiety disorders the most common of all mental disorders.
Anecdotally, many people find that yoga helps to alleviate anxiety but is there solid evidence for yoga playing a role here? Read on to find out more in an exclusive excerpt from The Physiology of Yoga.
Anxiety and yoga
A review by Li and Goldsmith (2012) looked at the effects of yoga on anxiety and stress. The review included 35 studies and concluded that while yoga can relieve stress and anxiety, further investigation into this relationship using large, well-defined populations, adequate controls, randomization, and long duration should be explored before recommending yoga as a treatment option. In a systematic review of randomized controlled trials on the effects of yoga on stress measures and mood, the 25 studies that were included provided preliminary evidence to suggest that yoga leads to better regulation of the sympathetic nervous system, as well as a decrease in depressive and anxious symptoms in a range of populations (Pascoe and Bauer 2015). A systematic review by Sharma and Haider (2013) focusing on the effect that yoga has on anxiety concluded that out of a total of 27 studies that met their inclusion criteria, 19 studies demonstrated a significant reduction in anxiety.
Streeter and colleagues (2010) suggested that yoga increases parasympathetic nervous system activity and neurotransmitter (GABA) levels in the thalamus, and that these increases are correlated with reduced anxiety and improved mood.
The Physiology of Yoga 8-Week Course
It is important to note that feelings of excitement also stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. Our nervous systems cannot easily distinguish between anxiety and excitement, and it prepares the body to respond whether we are dealing with something truly dangerous or simply something new or unknown. Anxiety and excitement are both aroused emotions. The only difference is that excitement is a positive emotion often involving optimism.
The anticipation of something really wonderful or really bad can also stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, even if that anticipation is exaggerated or completely incorrect. In this sense, the brain does not distinguish between fantasy and reality. Think about the last time you had a nightmare. You will have woken up feeling panicked, flushed, breathing rapidly, and maybe even sweating. The sympathetic nervous system was triggered as if the nightmare was actually happening. The same goes with rumination: If we constantly worry that something might go wrong, we are triggering the sympathetic nervous system. This is where yoga and mindfulness practices play a key role. These practices help us to focus our attention so that our mind wanders less freely, and they help us to become more aware of thoughts. As we become aware of our thoughts, we come to the realization that we are not defined by them but are the observer of them. This sense of detachment from our thoughts can play a huge role in creating balance in our autonomic nervous system.
References
Li, A., and C. Goldsmith. 2012. “The Effects of Yoga on Anxiety and Stress.” Alternative Medicine Review 17:21-35.
Pascoe, M., and I. Bauer. 2015. “A Systematic Review of Randomized Control Trials on the Effects of Yoga on Stress Measures and Mood.” Journal of Psychiatric Research 68:270-282.
Sharma, M., and T. Haider. 2013. “Yoga as an Alternative and Complementary Therapy for Patients Suffering From Anxiety: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine 18 (1): 15-22.
Streeter, C., T. Whitfield, L. Owen, et al. 2010. “Effects of Yoga Versus Walking on Mood, Anxiety, and Brain GABA Levels: A Randomized Controlled MRS Study.” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 16 (11): 1145-1152.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anxiety-disorders