Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500 speaks to you about a tapping technique for helping individuals who suffer from anxiety. Demonstrations give by Yong Yang.
A Tapping Technique for Anxiety By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed
Tapping is the primary action found in the Emotional Freedom Technique. This technique utilizes the activation and balancing of the end points of the Chinese energy meridians to affect emotional balance and health. Many people find that “tapping,” as it is colloquially known, facilitates a state of equipoise and increases an individual’s life force energy or chi. There are specific tapping techniques for reducing stress, anxiety and depression. These portable, go-to techniques allow you to effectively reduce your stress and anxiety levels in a brief period of time.
Many Yoga practitioners struggle with high levels of stress, which frequently culminates in uncomfortably high levels of anxiety. When anxiety levels remain high, these anxious states can potentially lead to chronic feelings of depression and ruminative thinking patterns. In addition, inflammatory markers in the body often rise and the immune system is negatively impacted by stress and anxiety. By successfully managing your stress and anxiety levels on a daily basis, you will help to nourish and sustain a state of vibrant physical and emotional health.
There are many ways to manage your stress and anxiety. Exercising on a regular basis has been shown to clinically reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression successfully. Meditating and practicing calming breathing techniques regularly has also been shown to help alleviate stress, anxiety and depression. By engaging in a balanced Yoga practice, which includes physical postures, breathing exercises and a period of meditation, you will ameliorate the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Researchers have found that the participants in their studies who exercise four to five times a week, for at least thirty minutes each time at a moderately aerobic level, are the ones who benefit most from a regular exercise program. The same principal applies to the practice of Yoga. By incorporating ten to fifteen minutes of meditation and pranayama into your Yoga practice, such as Alternate Nostril Breathing, you will further reduce your symptoms of anxiety and depression as you nurture a state of calm equipoise.
If, however, you find that you still struggle with bouts of anxiety or are triggered during a particularly stressful incident, utilizing a tapping technique for anxiety will help to quickly soothe your nervous system and calm your mind. This technique is most effectively performed in a seated position. When you would like to try this tapping technique for anxiety, come to a comfortable seated position on your Yoga mat or on a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
Take a few deep breaths, and then raise your arms to chest height. Loosely intertwine your fingers with your thumbs facing up and your palms facing your body. Gently begin tapping on your breast bone. This tapping movement will stimulate the thymus gland, which helps to regulate the flow of chi or prana throughout the body. This gland is also said to be the connecting point between the body and the mind. The thymus gland is also one of the primary glands of the endocrine system and plays a substantial role in governing the immune system. By stimulating the thymus gland with this tapping technique, you will also be boosting your immune system, which is often compromised by stress and anxiety.
Continue to breath as you tap your breast bone for two to three minutes. You may go up and down vertically several inches with your fingers, but do not tap on your Solar Plexus. An alternative hand position for tapping to relieve anxiety is to take one hand and form a point with your thumb and fingers. The tapping technique remains the same. Remember to use the pads of your fingers, not your nails, while tapping your breast bone. When you have completed your tapping session, gently place your hands in your lap and take a few complete breaths.
To further enhance the stress relieving benefit of this tapping technique for anxiety, at the close of your tapping session, take three to five deep, complete breaths. On your inhale count to four, and then elongate your exhale to a count of eight. This will further calm down an overactive sympathetic nervous system while it simultaneously triggers the relaxation response of the parasympathetic nervous system. If you would like more information about tapping for anxiety, practicing Yoga or becoming a certified Yoga teacher, please visit: www.aurawellnesscenter.com
Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a freelance writer and academic support specialist. She may be contacted at: enchantress108@gmail.com.
A Tapping Technique for Anxiety By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed
Tapping is the primary action found in the Emotional Freedom Technique. This technique utilizes the activation and balancing of the end points of the Chinese energy meridians to affect emotional balance and health. Many people find that “tapping,” as it is colloquially known, facilitates a state of equipoise and increases an individual’s life force energy or chi. There are specific tapping techniques for reducing stress, anxiety and depression. These portable, go-to techniques allow you to effectively reduce your stress and anxiety levels in a brief period of time.
Many Yoga practitioners struggle with high levels of stress, which frequently culminates in uncomfortably high levels of anxiety. When anxiety levels remain high, these anxious states can potentially lead to chronic feelings of depression and ruminative thinking patterns. In addition, inflammatory markers in the body often rise and the immune system is negatively impacted by stress and anxiety. By successfully managing your stress and anxiety levels on a daily basis, you will help to nourish and sustain a state of vibrant physical and emotional health.
There are many ways to manage your stress and anxiety. Exercising on a regular basis has been shown to clinically reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression successfully. Meditating and practicing calming breathing techniques regularly has also been shown to help alleviate stress, anxiety and depression. By engaging in a balanced Yoga practice, which includes physical postures, breathing exercises and a period of meditation, you will ameliorate the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Researchers have found that the participants in their studies who exercise four to five times a week, for at least thirty minutes each time at a moderately aerobic level, are the ones who benefit most from a regular exercise program. The same principal applies to the practice of Yoga. By incorporating ten to fifteen minutes of meditation and pranayama into your Yoga practice, such as Alternate Nostril Breathing, you will further reduce your symptoms of anxiety and depression as you nurture a state of calm equipoise.
If, however, you find that you still struggle with bouts of anxiety or are triggered during a particularly stressful incident, utilizing a tapping technique for anxiety will help to quickly soothe your nervous system and calm your mind. This technique is most effectively performed in a seated position. When you would like to try this tapping technique for anxiety, come to a comfortable seated position on your Yoga mat or on a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
Take a few deep breaths, and then raise your arms to chest height. Loosely intertwine your fingers with your thumbs facing up and your palms facing your body. Gently begin tapping on your breast bone. This tapping movement will stimulate the thymus gland, which helps to regulate the flow of chi or prana throughout the body. This gland is also said to be the connecting point between the body and the mind. The thymus gland is also one of the primary glands of the endocrine system and plays a substantial role in governing the immune system. By stimulating the thymus gland with this tapping technique, you will also be boosting your immune system, which is often compromised by stress and anxiety.
Continue to breath as you tap your breast bone for two to three minutes. You may go up and down vertically several inches with your fingers, but do not tap on your Solar Plexus. An alternative hand position for tapping to relieve anxiety is to take one hand and form a point with your thumb and fingers. The tapping technique remains the same. Remember to use the pads of your fingers, not your nails, while tapping your breast bone. When you have completed your tapping session, gently place your hands in your lap and take a few complete breaths.
To further enhance the stress relieving benefit of this tapping technique for anxiety, at the close of your tapping session, take three to five deep, complete breaths. On your inhale count to four, and then elongate your exhale to a count of eight. This will further calm down an overactive sympathetic nervous system while it simultaneously triggers the relaxation response of the parasympathetic nervous system. If you would like more information about tapping for anxiety, practicing Yoga or becoming a certified Yoga teacher, please visit: www.aurawellnesscenter.com
Virginia Iversen, M.Ed, has been practicing and studying the art of Yoga for over twenty years. She lives in Woodstock, New York, where she works as a freelance writer and academic support specialist. She may be contacted at: enchantress108@gmail.com.
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