Yoga for Anxiety: Meditations and Practices for Calming the Body and Mind

175 Pages·2010·1.6 MB·English

by  Mary Nurriestearns

“Feeling anxious is so much a part of modern life that we almost
forget how limiting it can be. But not these authors. They offer us clear
information and techniques for dealing with anxiety on a daily basis.
They teach us what the brain does when we are anxious, and what we
can do about it, by changing the focus of our thinking and getting us
on the yoga mat and meditation cushion for time-honored practices.
“But mostly they give us readers the confidence that we can transcend
our anxiety and lead richer and more enjoyable lives. Highly
recommended for yoga teachers and others interested in the whole
picture of anxiety, including the spiritual angst that usually
accompanies it. I especially enjoyed the personal stories scattered
throughout the book.”
—Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., PT, has been teaching yoga
since 1971 and is author of eight books, including
Yogabody
“Writing in a clear, step-by-step format, Mary and Rick NurrieStearns
provide simple practices to help identify and counteract negative
thoughts, induce relaxation, develop awareness, reduce stress, and heal
anxiety. The authors create a connection with the reader by using
images and examples from everyday life that resonate with everyone’s
experiences. Yoga for Anxiety integrates modern psychology with
basic yoga practices, including postures, breathing, mindfulness, and
meditation. In the early chapters, basic information suitable for
beginners provides the foundation for more advanced material as the
book progresses. For anyone suffering from anxiety, Yoga for Anxiety
is a great place to begin the journey to recovery.”
—Patricia L. Gerbarg, MD, and Richard P. Brown, MD,
coauthors of How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in
Mental Health Care
“Yoga is one of the best-validated therapies in the entire field of
integrative medicine. It is especially valuable because it addresses all
we are: body, mind, and spirit. Yoga for Anxiety is an excellent guide
for anyone seeking greater serenity, peace, and fulfillment—and who
isn’t?”
—Larry Dossey, MD, author of Healing Words and The
Power of Premonitions
“By combining traditional psychology with the deep teachings of
yoga, Mary and Rick NurrieStearns help you move past anxiety in
order to experience your true nature. Yoga for Anxiety clearly shows
that when you are willing to mindfully face and release your anxiety, it
actually becomes a doorway to deep inner freedom and happiness.”
—Michael A. Singer, author of The Untethered Soul

Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with
the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If
expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Note to the reader While yoga practices are empowering and safe, they are not
substitutes for medical care. Sometimes yoga practices are most effective as
supplemental self-care to counseling and medical advice. Professional
treatment, including medications, can be helpful, especially if you have a history
of trauma or intense anxiety. If you are receiving treatment for anxiety, please
consult with your therapist or doctor before doing the practices in this book.
Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books Copyright © 2010 by Mary NurrieStearns and Rick NurrieStearns New Harbinger
Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
Cover design by Amy Shoup Text design by Michele Waters-Kermes Acquired by Jess O’Brien Edited by Nelda Street Cover photo
by Kim Shetter Interior photos by Claussen Studios All Rights Reserved ___________
Epub ISBN: 978-1-60882-607-0
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as: NurrieStearns, Mary.
Yoga for anxiety : meditations and practices for calming the body and mind / Mary NurrieStearns and Rick NurrieStearns.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-1-57224-651-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-57224-651-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Stress management. 2. Yoga. 3.
Anxiety. I. NurrieStearns, Rick, 1953-II. Title.
RA785.N87 2010
616.9’8--dc22
2009044376
contents
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDING ANXIETY
CHAPTER 2 HOW THINKING MAKES YOU ANXIOUS
CHAPTER 3 HOW YOGA HEALS ANXIETY
CHAPTER 4 A DEEPER LOOK AT ANXIETY
CHAPTER 5 PRACTICES FOR CALMING YOUR MIND
CHAPTER 6 PRACTICES FOR COMFORTING YOUR BODY
CHAPTER 7 MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS FOR ANXIETY
CHAPTER 8 RELIEVING ANXIETY WITH ETHICAL LIVING
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
acknowledgments
we thank New Harbinger Publications, especially Jess O’Brien for making this
book possible, Jess Beebe for being a guiding light that kept our writing on
course, and Nelda Street for excellent copyediting.
We give special thanks to our writing consultant Hal Zina Bennett, who
helped us express our hearts in this book—and a whole lot more.
We thank our clients, students, and retreatants. Your courage to stay the
course touches our hearts and deepens our appreciation for how powerful these
practices are.
We thank Sara Wright for beautifully modeling the yoga poses for the photos
in this book, and Chris Claussen for taking great photographs. We thank Mary’s
yoga students for helping to develop the sequence for daily practice.
We thank those who have inspired us along the way, including Gay and
Kathlyn Hendricks, Father Thomas Keating, Richard Moss, John Tarrant,
Adyashanti, Pema Chödrön, Hameed Ali, and Eckhart Tolle.
We thank our cats, who purred us along, and our dog, who made sure we
took breaks to walk.
And we thank our family and friends, who waited patiently for us to be
available again.
—Rick and Mary
introduction
many years ago, we hiked a beautiful trail in Utah’s Zion National Park, called
Angels Landing. The trail started off with a strenuous hike up a number of
switchbacks on a paved path. After topping the paved switchbacks, we entered a
canyon with a gradually inclining, shaded path. Just as we thought we were
nearing the end of the trail, the trail turned and revealed that we had even steeper
switchbacks ahead of us. We were determined to reach the top of the trail,
because descending hikers seemed thrilled to have experienced its breathtaking
view and we wanted to see what everyone was talking about.
The path became increasingly intimidating and scary. Heavy chains were
bolted into the rock walls to hang on to. On the edge of a cliff, the trail was only
a foot wide with a sheer 1,200 foot drop to the river below. Hikers on their way
back down encouraged us to go on, declaring that the view from the top was
marvelous. Sustained by their support, we continued. We haltingly climbed the
same way everybody does, putting one foot down in front of the other and going
breath by breath by breath. Once we reached the summit, we smiled and
breathed sighs of relief, yet we both knew that we had to go back down the same
way we had come up. We worried our way through our lunch and then began the
return trip. During our descent, there were moments when we focused more on
what might go wrong and less on where the ground was solid beneath our feet.
We had to stop from time to time, remind each other to breathe, remember that
we were okay, and then begin again.
Sometime after our Zion trip, Rick resolved to walk through the forest near
our home as a daily meditation. Having long relied on his steadfast and steely
mind to get him through life, he sometimes found that it cut him off from his
aliveness. Putting one foot in front of the other helped Rick slow down and
connect to himself, which propelled him into a powerful healing journey because
he was then better able to feel and be touched by the meditative practices he had
done for many years.
Taking one step at a time has helped enable Mary to live inside of herself.
Her thoughts used to race ahead of her body, worrying about what would happen
next and what she needed to take care of. It was as if her mind lived in a
different time zone than her body. After the Angels Landing hike, she silently
recited the words, “Step here,”during her morning walks, because it focused her
attention on walking as she walked. Gradually her body and mind started
moving together as one, making it possible for her to integrate what her yoga
practices revealed to her.
Putting one foot in front of the other is so simple that it can become
mechanical, allowing our minds to go elsewhere and be out of sync with our
experience. As a consequence, we forget what we’re doing, who we are, and
where we are. All this forgetting causes painful anxiety. Healing ourselves from
this anxiety depends on our remembering again.
We’ve been on a yoga journey together since we met, twenty years ago, and
this book is our way of sharing what we’ve learned. We’ve both suffered from
anxiety and found that yoga practices help us to remember who we are, to
connect to ourselves, and to engage more fully in life. We don’t claim scholarly
knowledge about yoga, but we’ve experienced its real and lasting benefits. Yoga
has brought profound healing to us and to the people we work with in retreats,
seminars, and counseling.
While yoga practices are empowering and safe, they are not substitutes for
medical care. Sometimes yoga practices are most effective as supplemental self-
care to counseling and medical advice. Professional treatment, including
medications, can be helpful, especially if you have a history of trauma or intense
anxiety. If you’re receiving treatment for anxiety, please consult with your
therapist or doctor before doing the practices in this book.
We teach only what we personally practice, so know that we’re with you as
you try the practices covered in this book. And along the way, remember to go
step by step—breath by breath by breath.
1. understanding anxiety
Difficulties are soul shaping…. They can be lessons that lead us to know who
we are…
—Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD
anxiety is a great struggle, one that can follow you around for years and, at
times, feel unbearable. And yet, amazingly, with the help of yoga practices,
anxiety is not only tolerable; it decreases and becomes much less of an influence
in your life. It’s also one of those difficulties that, when embraced and seen into,
can show you who you truly are. And if it does, it gives you the gift of a lifetime.
As odd as this sounds, you’re about to discover that anxiety is not the adversary
that it feels like.
Know that, as someone who suffers from anxiety, you’re not alone. Many
people have endured it, ourselves included, and it’s not a personal flaw to be
anxious. We live in stressful times. Economic upheaval, terrorism, and global
warming threaten our collective existence. Even though your anxiety feels
personal and is related to your individual experiences, it occurs in the context of
local, national, and global anxiety. We don’t know how to resolve the collective
anxiety, but the many yoga practices discussed in this book can help you unwind
and access inner peace. We also know, from our own experience, that reducing
anxiety brings joy to your life and encourages those around you. So as you focus
on your individual healing, take comfort in knowing that your healing touches
the lives of others in a positive way.
This book isn’t just about anxiety; it’s fundamentally about learning to be
calm and contented. Although you’ve experienced anxiety, you’ve probably also
been relaxed, even if some time has passed since you felt that way. We’re
inclined toward relaxation because it’s a natural state, one wherein we connect to
ourselves and don’t struggle with life. Being relaxed doesn’t make you passive,
uninvolved, or irresponsible. Rather, it allows you to enjoy your life and feel
okay being you. At the same time, it helps make you sane and enables you to
make wise choices. Practice by practice, step by step, moment by moment, yoga
helps you to know who you are and be more at ease in your life.
Mary has a long history with anxiety, and attributes much of her healing to
yoga. These practices continue to steady and calm her when needed, as the