Sooth anxiety with outdoor yoga

I have severe anxiety, depression & OCD and I find yoga helps me a fair amount. I was a bit scared to start classes because I suffer a bit from social anxiety and it makes me feel very claustrophobic. I was also afraid I would make a fool of myself or do something wrong. I’m not a very athletic type, I’m quite clumsy & very accident prone but I still was determined. I remember seeing an ad for happenings outdoor yoga and decided to give that a try. Fast forward 4 years later and I still go most Saturdays during the summer months. Every Saturday they have a different yoga teacher and each of them has a different style. I find this makes it more fun and interesting. It means that every week you learn something new about yoga. These teachers are also fully trained professionals that teach in yoga centres all around Dublin City Centre. It’s also a bargain for only 5 euro! So you’re probably thinking, that’s great all, but how does it help anxiety? Well there’s a few reasons.

There’s no commitment

I like that it’s not like a gym membership or anything. You don’t have to go every week if you don’t want to. Sometimes I can’t go and that’s grand. I don’t have to feel bad that I’m letting the teacher down or anything.

Reasonably priced

Like everyone, I worry about money a lot! But this is the most affordable thing in my life that really helps my mental health. I don’t worry that it’s too expensive & I can’t go afford to go.

Nature is soothing

I don’t know about you but I find nature incredibly calming. There’s nothing like meditating with the sun shining on your face and birds singing in the background.

Social & Solitary

Outdoor yoga (or any yoga) can both be a social and solitary thing. You can bring your friends or you can go on your own, it’s completely up to you. Lots of people actually go on their own & there is a nice friendly atmosphere. Whatever suits you, it’s very chilled there. The minute the teacher begins the class, the focus will be on yourself and what you want to achieve in the class. No one is looking at you because everyone will be concentrating on their own goals. I find this very comforting, feeling like part of a group but also working alone.

Yoga Styles

I mentioned before, there are different teachers every week which means you learn different types of yoga like Yin & Yang. Some forms of yoga can be slow and reflective while others can be quiet athletic and fast. What’s most important is to listen to your body and not to push yourself too hard. If anything, Yoga encourages self-compassion.

Meditation relieves stress

We all meditate in the last 15 minutes of this class. Meditation is a great way to relieve stress. Sometimes the teacher will play peaceful music, sometimes they read poems or stories. Most of the time there is just quiet. A comfortable silence that can calm your mind. This takes practice but everyone gets there in their own time. Yoga has taught me over the years to be more patient with myself.

Exercise stimulate endorphins

Exercise can help with depression & anxiety because endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body. Some of the teachers are pretty funny and they’ll try and make you laugh with difficult postures. Sometimes when postures are tough, you can get tense in the face but laughing helps you relax. At the end of the day, you are there to have fun, not strain yourself. Yoga is about being playful.

Helping the community

I actually really like the fact that we’re making a small difference. The fiver that you pay, goes into looking after the park & pay the teacher. The park is very beautiful and it’s nice to know my money is contributing to something positive. This make me feel like I’m making some sort of difference even if it is small.

Every time I leave that yoga class, I am always really glad I went. I leave feeling good that I’m conquering my social anxiety and looking after my mind and body. You only get one body, so you have to look after it. My biggest lesson from yoga has been learning that I have more power over my mind and body than I realised.