(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Despite being an ancient form of exercise, yoga has only recently seen a surge in popularity. In the US, around 36 million people now do yoga regularly. One of the reasons for this is that it isn’t just physical exercise. It’s also a way to lower stress and help you overcome mental blocks, like anxiety. Anyone who lives with anxiety knows that there isn’t one single cure. However, here’s why yoga could be a crucial part of the solution.

The Importance of Breathwork

Many of the symptoms of anxiety come from losing control of your breathing. When you feel stressed, you’ll start to take more shallow breaths, meaning that they come from high up in your chest rather than deep in your stomach. You’ll likely breathe more through your mouth, which is bad because your nose filters out toxins and maintains the right oxygen levels.

Part of yoga is doing conscious breathing. This helps you breathe more deeply, slowing your breath down. As you do so, you’ll start to lower your heart rate, inducing a state of calm. The more you practice breathing during yoga, the more it’ll become a habit. That'll help you breathe properly in your daily life, lowering the chances of an anxiety attack.

Steady on Your Feet

There’s a recognized link between anxiety and balance problems. When you feel unsteady on your feet, your fight or flight response is more likely to be engaged, especially in seemingly dangerous situations like being up high or in a crowded space. This leads to anxiety symptoms. If you think you have real balance concerns, consult a doctor to figure out the cause.

It could be a problem of posture, an ear fluid imbalance, or something deeper in the brain. While you’re figuring this out, you can use yoga to strengthen your core and improve your balance. Like strength or speed, balance comes from practice. As you start to feel steadier, you’ll feel more confident moving through any environment.

Just One Part of the Puzzle

Yoga alone won’t cure your anxiety. It seems that it can make a huge improvement, but only if you pair it with positive lifestyle choices. If you’re still consuming too much caffeine and alcohol, work too hard, and eat too much junk food, then yoga isn’t going to make much difference. It’s important to view it as part of your holistic healing process.

During your yoga exercises, when you’re free of the distractions of screens and other people, spend some time meditating on how you can make some positive improvements in your own healthcare. Commit to becoming educated on health, using useful resources like Supermedical. There’s no single cure for anxiety, but yoga might be an important piece of the puzzle.

Yoga has so many benefits for your health and fitness levels. In terms of anxiety, though, it seems to help because it helps you improve your balance and focus on your breathing. By doing these two things, you’re decreasing your overall anxiety levels. Just remember to combine this with other healthy lifestyle and diet changes.