Anxious Brain’s Difficulty Pranayama

3 years ago By Yogi Anoop

People with anxiety find it difficult to make pranayama a habit, here's why ?

In my experience, I have seen that most people with anxiety can exercise, stretch and maintain agility, however, practising pranayama is less appealing to them or they find it difficult to incorporate it as a habit. In this blog piece, we will explore why it is so.  

Exercising helps secrete good hormones, however, people with anxiety find it troublesome to maintain regular practice of pranayama, especially techniques that involve chest breathing. I have observed that such people are not able to regulate or maintain a hold on their breath, to be able to breathe deeper and slower because they are often used to doing things swiftly. 

Pranayama and meditation are activities that involve settling, slowing down, letting go, something which the so-called 'monkey mind' of an anxious person is completely opposed to, therefore, it usually takes a lot of dedication and commitment to be able to instill a habit of regular pranayama and meditation in people with anxiety. Once established, the person begins to see a remarkable drop in anxiety levels. 

People with anxiety suffer from poor or low absorption of oxygen in brain and lung tissue, as a result, in most cases, such people may tend to breathe heavily or hyperventilate in stressful situations. They are prone to exercising swiftly and may often come across as 'hyper' individuals. Such activities, in turn, may promote more anxiety in future - therefore, a pressing need for them is to calm down, relax and go slow.  

It is noticeable that such people may find solace in instant gratification - through food, lust, et cetera - and may want and expect quick results in life. They may also have a liking for strong smell, scents that could overpower their own strong odour. As a result of all of the above-mentioned factors, such people may find pranayama, the ebb and flow of their own breath, extremely boring. I feel if such people could find some scent in their breath, they would like to be addicted to pranayama. But I suppose that is why our breath is neutral, because that is how the brain likes it - as a carrier of oxygen and calmness - neutral and natural. 

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