A Yoga Teachers Basic Remedies for Anxiety
jasmine panayiotou
Calm anxiety using the science of yoga
In an age where the only constant is instability, stress has found fertile ground, particularly among young women. Anxiety disorders in women aged 18-24 are on the rise (Priory, 2025), with a drastic upsurge in diagnoses reported since the pandemic. (WHO, 2022).
Turns out, hormones, technology, and our hectic schedules combine to make the perfect stress cocktail, one anxiety takes neat. Our biological makeup doesn’t just make women irresistible targets; it often creates an ideal mental hideout for anxious thoughts to thrive and multiply. Since the pandemic, the mounting stressors have only heightened this pressure, turning daily life into a mental balancing act, with many of us on the brink of collapse.
How many women are stressing in 2025?
An Optimal survey found that 54.5% of respondents experience anxious thoughts daily, with 54.6% lacking coping mechanisms to manage them. The result? A generation of worried women, riding a constant, erratic wave of cortisol. Accredited women’s health expert and yoga teacher, Libby Stevenson, has experienced this firsthand and has some tips to help you ride out your fight-or-flight response and stay mentally on course.
Libby Stevenson discovered yoga after her kids flew the nest. Now, the former yogi turned teacher views the 5,000-year-old practice as her restorative refuge, which helped her reclaim autonomy and find her true calling.
What's making us women so anxious?
Stevenson identifies doomscrolling as our generation’s new ‘downtime’ and the leading driver of the anxiety epidemic. Young adults now spend over two hours daily on social media, a 7% increase from last year.
“We’re constantly plugged in and there’s no way to disconnect unless done purposefully, by leaving your phone at home.” Says Stevenson. Stevenson recommends unplugging hours before bed, or at least switching you’re your notifications to save those evening hours for winding down and preparing for quality REM sleep.
Stevenson advises first assessing your anxiety’s severity; whether it’s high functioning anxiety (can engage in day-to-day tasks) or low functioning anxiety (stopping you from participating in daily life).
If your symptoms are more serious, Stevenson recommends seeking advice from your local GP.
How does yoga reduce stress?
Stevenson rejects the notion that yoga is just another workout. “Exercise implies continuous movement and repetition, whereas in yoga, sometimes we don’t move. There's stillness."
Like a muscle, Stevenson says regulation requires consistent practice, something high-intensity workouts just can’t offer.
"In stillness, you learn to accept. It’s when the mind settles and you start hearing things in your head that you don’t want to hear, and that’s when you learn to let go," says Stevenson.
Why should you try it?
Chances are, it’s likely that you’re hesitation stems from being repeatedly told to just ‘stop thinking about it’ – when your heart feels moments away from bursting from your ribcage. Stevenson agrees that this advice is little more than a hollow proverb. In fact, she says anxious energy can’t be discarded, but only transformed.
What's the science behind yoga?
When you're feeling anxious, your body often gets stuck in ‘fight-or-flight’ mode, causing your heart to race and your cortisol (stress hormone) levels to spike. Yoga helps deactivate this panic response by activating your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which acts as your body’s ‘calm down’ button. Breathing techniques like deep belly breathing, box breathing, or nostril alternation can slow your heart rate and reduce cortisol, sending your body into a state of deep relaxation.
Stevenson says that if your anxiety ever takes over in a social setting, diaphragmatic breathing is an effective technique to turn to. This breathwork’s deep, slow rhythms can regulate your PNS within minutes – and the best part is, it can be practised discreetly.
What are all the benefits of yoga?
Beyond breathing and meditation, Stevenson says yoga poses (such as asanas) can help release physical tension that accumulates in your muscles, areas where traces of emotional trauma often reside. Yoga not only calms the mind, but can also lighten the emotional load you’ve been unconsciously carrying.
Stress can often misalign energy points within you, often referred to as ‘chakras’.
“Chakras are a spinning vortex of energy located along different areas of your spine, and on your head,” says Stevenson. “They govern different parts of the body, offering insight into both your inner and outer world.”
Stevenson views yoga as a way to balance these energies. When chakras fall out of sync, just like any part of your body, low-impact movement and meditation can realign them, clearing the way for fresh, positive energy and new connections.
What are The Different Types of Yoga that Reduce Anxiety?
When it comes to coping with nerves, Stevenson suggests following the work of accredited yogis to explore yoga poses, meditations, and breathing techniques, encouraging you to find what works best among the many available options.
Active Yoga
For those more physically inclined, Stevenson suggests trying vinyasa, ashtanga and rocket to unwind. Focusing on dynamic poses, guided breathing and synchronised movements, these active yoga styles can improve flexibility, build strength, and provide a more rigorous mode of exercise that’s sure to break a sweat.
Gentle Yoga
For anxious women looking to take it easy, Stevenson recommends yin and restorative yoga. More slow-paced styles use deep stretches and props to promote relaxation, ideal for rest, recovery, or mindful movement without high intensity.
Meditative Yoga
For ladies trying to tune in to their spiritual side, Stevenson suggests trying breathwork, chanting, kundalini or sound baths. These meditative practices focus on quieting the mind and exercising vocal control.
Kundalini mixes movement, breathwork and chanting to awaken spinal energy, clear chakra blockages, and restore emotional and spiritual harmony. Sound baths take a sensory, musical approach, using instruments to create soothing sound frequencies that harness vibrational energy, helping shift your focus away from worry.
But you don’t have to go full-on yogi just yet. Stevenson says that adding just one yoga session to your week is enough to start feeling those calming effects.
“Even for someone who does it once per week, they will still feel lighter and more positive about the world around them," says Stevenson. “Even after the first time, that relaxed feeling lasts off the mat for a while.”
So, the next time life lobs a stress-inducing curveball your way, Stevenson recommends taking a deep breath, unrolling your mat, and trying to find the flow that fits you.