ON THE MAT WITH ANXIETY: A JOURNEY FROM RESISTANCE TO RELEASE

Anxiety is an energetic alert system that works subtly to give us intuitive information. Most of us are too distracted throughout our day to listen to these alerts, so we end up missing the message. Not to mention, energy moves much faster than what our brains are capable of processing. In that way, it takes time for us to react to the constant movement of energy around us. Eventually, ignoring the alerts of anxiety will build it into something we can no longer ignore, this is where the symptoms of anxiety become loud enough for us to listen. At that point however, all we want to do is ease the discomfort through disassociation, once again, ignoring the message and messenger.

Rather than suppressing this movement with distraction or medication, we can learn to harness it. Anxiety is like an old friend who has some good advice for you, it just wants to be seen and heard. In life, we’re taught that it’s not okay to feel not okay, so we respond by attempting to squash the feeling. A big part of my new book is about stepping into anxiety and greeting it not as an enemy to be feared,

but as an old friend to listen to. Anxiety is energy, and energy can be directed into awareness, creativity, and purposeful manifestation.

For many of us, anxiety arrives like an uninvited guest. It tightens the chest, quickens the breath, and scatters the mind. In yoga philosophy, we are taught that what we resist persists. Instead of banishing anxiety, what if we bowed to it, acknowledged its presence, and even welcomed it as a teacher? Through a series of panic attacks in 2024 I learned that trying to push anxiety down only ever made it worse. I’ve always been both an avid meditator and yoga student but eventually just breathing through it no longer seemed to help. I wanted to get to the root cause of anxiety, not just fix the symptoms. I truly believe that in life, we can’t heal something if we don’t know where it comes from. This sent me on a journey of self- discovery and anxiety unpacking that led me to places no one else is talking about. Anxiety is not just a myriad of symptoms, it’s an energetic messenger trying to tell us something.

Anxiety as Prana:
Energy in Motion

In yogic terms, prana is the vital life- force flowing through us. Anxiety, far from being a malfunction, is simply prana moving at high speed. Think of it as excess wind in the vata dosha, restless, light, and quick.

The “Spidey Sense” Connection

I describe anxiety as a spidey sense, our intuitive alarm system, similar to a yogi’s cultivated sattvic awareness. It alerts us to subtle shifts in environment or relationships, much like how a practitioner becomes aware of the body’s whispers before they become shouts. As we move through our day and our week, this spidey sense is talking to us. On top of that, it is also connecting and communicating with other people’s energies as well. I believe anxiety and emotion in general is contagious, that means that some

of the anxiety you feel isn’t even yours to take on. You could have picked it up from the cashier at the grocery store, or the newscast playing on the TV at your doctor’s office, or even from the conversation you had the night before with your Mom. When we stop and take a moment to listen to the restlessness, we are more likely able to pinpoint its source. When we discover that it came from somewhere or someone else, it’s easier for us to let it go. The more energetically sensitive you are, the more affected you will be by these external energy exchanges.

Anxiety as a Call for Healing

Yoga teaches that the body stores memory, and so does the mind. I believe that unprocessed trauma manifests into alarms that never stop ringing, which sometimes means a lifetime of unresolved signals. Just as we cleanse the body through kriyas, we must cleanse the subtle body through presence, journaling, or practices like cord-cutting meditations. Take the time to dig deep, go back and heal

“In life, we’re taught that it’s not okay to feel not okay, so we respond by attempting to squash the feeling.”

what no longer serves you. In my book, I explore a technique I created called ReNU which allows us to stop and process painful experiences from the past and the present. By meeting past anxieties head-on, rather than burying them, we liberate energy for the present

Future anxiety often shows up as relentless “what-ifs.” My ReNU Method (Recognise, Neutralise, Utilise), mirrors the yogic path of mindfulness:

1. Recognise – Observe anxiety as it arises, without judgment (svadhyaya, self-study).
2. Neutralise – Bring the system into safety with breath and observation (pranayama) and presence.
3. Utilise – Direct the heightened awareness into manifestation, gratitude, or aligned action.

When we meet anxiety this way, it shifts from a tyrant into a guide. It becomes a gateway into deeper trust, reminding us that uncertainty is simply the edge of growth.

Anxiety as a Superpower

My take on anxiety is radical yet familiar to yoga practitioners: anxiety is your superpower. Just as Shiva embodies both destruction and creation, anxiety holds dual potential. Left unchecked, it spirals into fear. Embraced consciously, it becomes heightened perception, intuition, and resilience.

Yoga invites us to sit in the fire (tapas) rather than escape it. By leaning into anxiety with breath and awareness, we transmute raw nervous energy into clarity, creativity, and compassion.

Practical Tools

• Breathwork: Try nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) to balance energy and calm the vata winds.
• Grounding Asana: Forward folds and restorative postures to anchor overstimulated energy.

• Mantra: Repeat “So Hum” (“I am That”) to return to the present.
• Journaling Practice: Treat anxious thoughts as energetic residue; release them through writing, as one might exhale toxins.

• Daily Check-in: Ask, “What is my anxiety trying to tell me today?”

Conclusion: From Enemy to Ally

Anxiety does not come to destroy us; it comes to awaken us. In yogic wisdom, the obstacles (kleshas) are not punishments but stepping stones toward liberation. By meeting anxiety as energy, listening to it as intuition, and working with it as an ally, we not only calm the storm but learn to ride its winds toward transformation.

Elizabeth April is a spiritual teacher, intuitive, and author of Your Anxiety Is Giving Me Anxiety: A Survival Guide for Thriving in a High-Stress World. She works with individuals worldwide to bridge science and spirituality, guiding them to transform anxiety into empowerment.