Brand new to hot yoga and I have an anxiety/panic disorder

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Kabbie15
Participant

February 12, 2013 at 6:03 am

Post count: 3

#2487

Hello all. I am brand new to this forum…and to hot yoga for that matter. I went for my second time tonight and LOVED it!

I am fairly athletic and workout and play hockey at a decent level so I have always been fairly fit but I wanted to encompass yoga as a complementary to my fitness routine to lose some fat and more importantly, battle my anxiety.

I have to admit I was very scared the first time I went last week and almost got to the door and left…but I stuck it out. I informed my instructor I have anxiety issues sometimes and was worried about the heat more than anything. She placed me by the door and kept an eye on me which was nice. I made it doing ALL 26 poses and was SO happy and proud of myself for doing so. I went again tonight and had a great practice. I am starting out with more beginner classes before moving into any power ones etc…

I still have to face this anxiety issue that has plagued me (sometimes not at all; sometimes severely) for 16 years and it is my hope this helps it!

I am not sure if others have the same kind of issues (I am guessing yes) but be encouraged!!:)

I look forward to chatting with others.

Namaste,

Rob

kfi2000
Participant

February 12, 2013 at 1:23 pm

Post count: 108

#10311

Hi Rob, and welcome!

Hot yoga can be a wonderful antidote to anxiety, for several reasons. As you have already experienced, you will be challenging yourself to stick with it, even if you feel anxious, and learning that you CAN do it, even if you may want to dart out of the room. This challenges the avoidance aspect of anxiety. There are also aspects of the class that are quite similar to techniques psychologists use to treat anxiety….in particular, the spine strengthening series that combines brief but intense muscle contraction followed by complete relaxation. Exercise in general is helpful for anxiety, its hard to feel anxious when you are physically exhausted. And finally, and importantly, the class is designed to teach you to turn off your brain. That’s a powerful tool, particularly if you can start to do that outside of class.

I recommend yoga in general (but hot yoga in particular) to people with anxiety for these reasons. I do hope you will continue to post and let us know how the anxiety is going, both in and out of the yoga room. You will likely encounter some classes where the anxiety seems to return….don’t get frustrated, just work on calming that “monkey mind”, your relaxation techniques (the breathing, keeping the eyes still), and I predict you will make great strides.

Namaste,

-Kristin

Kabbie15
Participant

February 13, 2013 at 6:02 am

Post count: 3

#10312

Thank you so much, Kristin!! I appreciate the encouragement.

I am looking forward to going back and continuing to improve at my practice. For a 36-year-old guy that has never done this, I am actually half decent at it…well not terrible anyway haha.

I will definitely keep you posted as to how it is going for me:)

Rob

Kabbie15
Participant

February 15, 2013 at 7:12 am

Post count: 3

#10325

Well I completed my 3rd session tonight of hot yoga tonight! I did one called hot yin/yang for 60 minutes. It was a slower paced session but great for strecthing and meditation. So far no anxiety or panic!! Hope everyone has a nice weekend:)

Namaste,

Rob

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

February 15, 2013 at 7:23 am

Post count: 3048

#10326

Hi Rob

That is great news. Kristin’s post was very helpful! What happens with hot yoga or more yang styles (and especially with spoken instruction) is that your conscious mind gets so busy with the instructions and other inputs that it quite literally does not have much or any space to think of anything else.

This allows your unconscious mind to let go, follow the directions. Your thinking brain in many instances when you are not distracted, (and that is sporadic and not continual over the 90 minutes) starts to slow down. This is how your anxiety is being managed … SELF-MANAGED.

In the beginning of your practice you are more likely to have a head more full of what’s going on in your physical environment. These things include the heat (!) the mirrors, where you’re putting what and where and how…, what you think you look like and other judgments (often no time for those, thankfully, but they do slip in).

Over time you are training yourself to focus more and more on the finer distinctions of being in your yoga.

Anyway, you are experiencing all that and it’s great to hear how much you have benefited in such a short time

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂
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