When Anxiety Lives in Your Body
A reflection on awareness and healing through yoga therapy
Have you ever noticed that anxiety isn’t just in your mind?
It’s in the restless hum under your skin, the shallow breath that never seems to fill your lungs, and the tension that gathers in your body before you even realize why.
We often try to manage anxiety from the top down — with our thoughts. But the truth is, anxiety also lives in the body. To truly calm the mind, we need to include the body in the conversation.
When the Body Forgets What Safety Feels Like
The body holds on to subtle stress signals long after the moment has passed. Over time, that state of alertness can become your “new normal.” You might notice it in your shoulders, your jaw, or that constant low-level unease that never quite lets go.
When the nervous system stays activated for too long, your body forgets how to access true relaxation and ease. Even when life quiets down, your system stays on guard — ready to protect you.
I see this every day, even in my own home.
In 2019, my family adopted a rescue puppy, a West Highland Terrier born with a severe cleft palate. Because of this, he couldn’t nurse and was taken from his mother shortly after birth. The rescue team bottle-fed him around the clock and cared for him tenderly, but he missed those crucial weeks of maternal comfort and regulation.
He was also handled constantly out of necessity — examined, fed, cleaned, and later treated for Parvo, a dangerous intestinal virus he nearly didn’t survive. Those early experiences kept him alive, but they also imprinted layers of stress and hypervigilance into his little body.
Murphy, during one of his moments of trust and regulation. ❤️
Even now, years later, though he lives in a calm, loving home, that imprint remains. He startles easily, barks at everything that moves, and sometimes becomes aggressive when he feels threatened. Beneath all of that is the sweetest, most affectionate soul. But his nervous system hasn’t fully learned what safety feels like.
People are much the same.
Even when our circumstances change — when we leave the stressful job, end the difficult relationship, or move into a calmer chapter of life, the nervous system doesn’t automatically know the danger has passed. It keeps scanning, guarding, and bracing.
The difference is that as humans, we have tools and awareness that help us work with our anxiety and stored patterns. Through yoga therapy, we can gently retrain the body and nervous system to recognize safety again — to remember calm.
A New Way to Work with Anxiety
Instead of asking, “How do I get rid of this feeling?” yoga therapy invites a new question:
“What is my body trying to tell me right now?”
Each session becomes a process of listening and response, helping you notice what triggers anxiety, how it shows up physically, and which practices bring your system back toward balance.
Gentle, mindful movement and specific breathing techniques can shift the nervous system out of that protective state and into one of safety and steadiness.
Over time, your body learns to relax, even in moments of uncertainty.
Your Body as an Ally
Anxiety isn’t the enemy. It’s your body’s way of protecting you — just as Murphy’s barking and growling is his way of saying, “I need to know I’m safe.”
With time, consistency, and love, he’s learning to relax. And so can we.
As awareness deepens, you begin to notice the early whispers of tension and unease before they build into overwhelm. That awareness is the first step toward change.
Your body can learn safety again. It can remember calm.
If you’ve been living with anxiety or chronic tension, yoga therapy offers a compassionate, personalized way to restore balance — not by forcing calm, but by helping your body remember it. Schedule a discovery call or explore more about yoga therapy here