How would you feel if you could change your state of mind at will?
If you could go from being worried to feeling confident and positive about things?
It feels like a dream come true doesn’t it!
But it isn’t just a dream.
Yoga is powerful enough to shift your state of mind so that you can let the worries behind you and move freely towards the next big thing you’d like to do.
Too often, we can let worries stand in the way of what we want.
We worry about what others will think.
We worry about “what if it doesn’t work out”.
We worry that if it works out, then what are we going to do!
The list of things we can worry about at any given time is endless!
And the end result of that?
We don’t go after our dreams.
We agree to things that we didn’t actually want to do.
We push away our ideas and inspirations because they seem too big or too scary.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to stop that cycle?
Wouldn’t it feel great to feel confident, to stop worrying and to stop doubting yourself?
When I started to live in this way, it made everything so much easier.
I went from being a complete worrier and control freak to being a lot more easy going, to enjoying the process (and not just the end result) and to accept that sometimes for things to work, they have to fail the first time around!
Have I got it all sorted?
No!
Am I always confident and never worry anymore?
Nope!
But… worry is now something that doesn’t stand in my way anymore.
And I have 4 specific yoga poses to thank for moving past the worry.
Flowing Tree
The flowing tree is almost magical in the way that it mesmerises you out of worrying!
Not only does it bring you in the present moment, it also helps you flow with things and let go of the worry very efficiently.
How to do it
Stand in your mountain pose.
Transfer the weight to your left leg. Breathe in and let the arms rise sideways until they come into prayer above your head. As your arms reach shoulder height, lift the right foot and rest it wherever is comfortable on the left leg. If balancing is a bit tricky, you can keep the ball of the right foot on the floor and rest the right ankle on the left leg.
Breathe out, take the arms down in front of you to the level of your heart.
As you next breathe in, rotate the wrists so that the fingers are pointing forward. Breathe out and stretch your arms forward.
With your next inhalation, open your arms sideways and as you breathe out, take your arms down by your side and lower your right foot back on the floor.
Repeat the same sequence on the left.
An affirmation to reinforce this pose
I flow with life.
And if this affirmation resonates with you, feel free to use it as you go through your days. Especially if you feel the worry coming up, remind yourself that you flow with life.
Warrior
You cannot do a warrior pose and not feel strong and confident as you are doing it.
How to do it
Start with your feet about 2 shoulder widths apart. Turn your right foot at 90 degrees to the right and push your left heel back at 60 degrees. Make sure you engage your core muscles.
Breathe in and lift your arms up to shoulder height.
As you breathe out, turn to the right from the hips, bend your right knee (check that it doesn’t go past your ankle) and raise your arms above your head until the palms meet overhead.
As you breathe in, reverse these 3 movements: straighten the right knee, turn your body back to the front and lower your arms back to shoulder height.
Repeat these movements several times with your breath.
As you flow in and out of it, I suggest that you really feel the strength in your legs and your abdominal muscles.
The physical strength that comes from practising this pose has a direct positive impact on your emotional wellbeing and your level of confidence in yourself.
If ever you doubt yourself or you worry that you are not good enough for something, the warrior pose will remind you that you are strong, powerful (more than you think) and that you can do this!
Affirmation to reinforce this pose
I am strong. I am confident. I am powerful.
Standing forward bend
Nothing like a forward bend to let go of worries, insecurities, self-doubt and any other negative mindset that might be influencing you.
How to do it
Stand in your mountain pose. Place your palms on your thighs. As you breathe out, engage your core muscles.
Breathe in and lengthen the spine.
As you breathe out, bend forward from the hips and slide your hands down your thighs as you do.
When your hands reach your knees, pause and breathe in. Feel your spine lengthen as you breathe in.
As you next breathe out, carry on folding forward until you reach your lowest comfortable point.
To come back up, bend your knees, pull your tummy in and slowly uncurl your spine.
If you feel comfortable, you can stay in this pose for a few moments. Take your focus on your outbreath and feel yourself letting go more and more with each outbreath.
Visualisation to reinforce this pose
As you breathe in, imagine that you are breathing in the nurturing energy of the Earth up the back of your legs and into your buttocks. As you breathe out, visualise that Earth energy flowing down your spine, through your arms and fingers, taking away any negative emotion with it.
Anahata breath
This gentle movement allows you to let go of worries and self-doubt and replace it with confidence and self-love.
How to do it
Stand in your mountain pose. Stretch your arms out in front of you at the level of your heart with your elbows slightly bent (as if you were holding a beach ball in your arms).
As you breathe in, bring the hands towards your chest. Feel your chest opening as you do so.
As you breathe out, turn the palms away from you and push the hands away. Make sure that you keep the elbows slightly bent.
Repeat this movement with your breath for as long as you want.
Affirmation to reinforce this pose
I breathe in love, I breathe out fear.
These 4 poses (either put together or on their own) will completely change the way you deal with your worries.
To get access to my tried and tested mini worry-busting yoga sequence, click on the link below: