Is Anxiety The Most Trending Thing Now ???

Before I dive in, let me share a true story with you—a story that inspired me to write this article and pass it on to each of you.

It’s a reminder that sometimes, it’s the smallest things that have the power to either lift us up or pull us down.

It was just last year, sometime around March, and I still remember how rough that day was. My parents and sisters had all tested positive for COVID, and I was neck-deep in stress, emotionally drained and barely keeping it together.

That’s when I got a call from a friend.

She didn’t say a word… just cried. Quiet sobs at first, and then completely broke down.

Honestly, I was already overwhelmed, and for a second, I felt irritated. But something stopped me. This friend is not someone who cries easily. In fact, she’s one of the strongest people I know. So, I paused and just let her cry.

Sometimes, that’s all we need to release, to be held in silence.

When she finally calmed down, I asked gently,

“What happened…?”

Her answer?

“I don’t know.”

“Wait, what?” I asked, confused.

She nodded, eyes still red from crying.

“I really don’t know what’s wrong. I just feel… sad. Hopeless. All the time.”

She hadn’t slept in a week. She felt surrounded by darkness. Her thoughts were spiralling into worst-case scenarios. She told me she’d stopped believing in anything good.

It was heavy. So, take a deep breath with me here, inhale, exhale—because this story isn’t just hers. It’s something many of us have felt in quiet moments.

What triggered all of this?

It turns out she had recently lost a few people very close to her. The grief had crept in silently and taken root. She had withdrawn into herself, stopped living in the moment, and technology only made it worse—feeding her fears, amplifying the loneliness.

With too much time and too little connection, her thoughts had become her enemies. As the saying goes, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And in her case, it was painfully true.

I asked,

“How long have you been feeling like this?”

“Over a week now,” she whispered.

I didn’t try to give her a pep talk. Instead, I said,

“We’ll find a way out of this together. Meet me on Zoom tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM.”

I wasn’t sure she’d show up. But something told me she would—because she was desperate for even one peaceful night’s sleep.

Here’s the thing: our body and mind are like a machine. And the nervous system? It’s the hard drive. It stores everything—every fear, every thought, every emotional scar. If we don’t delete the old files, we run out of space for the new ones. And eventually, the system crashes.

The next morning, she logged in before me.

There she was sitting on her yoga mat, eyes determined, face calm. She was ready. Ready to fight for herself.

That moment filled me with joy.

As we spoke, I realised she was physically active and strong, which gave me a starting point. I began designing a routine: yoga, meditation, pranayama. The foundation was there.

But the real challenge? Consistency.

Would she stick with it?

It became my responsibility to help her stay on track. To hold her through the discipline and the dips. And I accepted that challenge with all my heart.

So… what did I include in her practice?

Stay with me. The next part might inspire you, too.

What have I incorporated into her yoga routine…???

Keep reading…

The Yoga Journey

Here’s what we followed during our yoga sessions:

15 minutes of full-body stretching to wake up the body.

6 focused asanas each day, spread across a 30-minute session.

5 minutes of meditation and 7 minutes of Savasana to end with calm and clarity.

A 10-minute nature walk post-practice—to breathe, reflect, and soak in the stillness.

Yoga Nidra—practiced once a week for deep emotional cleansing.

We stuck to 4 yoga days a week, each with a unique focus:

Day 1: Forward bends – to release and ground

Day 2: Balancing and strengthening – to build focus

Day 3: Backbends – to open the heart and energize

Day 4: A mix of binds, balance, and strength – to realign and stabilize

Let’s Talk Food

Yes, food habits matter—not just what you eat, but how you eat it.

She was a coffee lover, so we allowed her one cup in the morning. But I explained:

• Caffeine can affect sleep and heighten anxiety.

• Sugar, though tempting, leads to energy crashes that impact mood.

We kept it simple—home-cooked meals only. I added ragi to her lunch for its calming effects and nutritional value. She was free to enjoy rice and wholesome, non-fussy food. No fancy diets, just mindful eating.

Within a few days, she started to sleep better.

The following week, I encouraged her to try Yoga Nidra—and she joined sessions with a seasoned guru. She enjoyed every bit of it. Her energy started shifting; I could feel it.

In just 20 days, she became consistent with her practice. She told me she was sleeping peacefully, smiling more, and embracing life again.

Now, she’s become a regular. Yoga and meditation are part of her daily routine—and we never skip our weekend 5K runs together!

Seeing her transform was magical. Watching someone heal so quickly and naturally through yoga was powerful. It inspired me to dive deeper into yoga myself.

Yoga Changed Me Too

This one experience gave new meaning to my own life. Yoga didn’t just help her; it gave me clarity, purpose, and a passion to keep learning and sharing more.

Understanding Anxiety

After the pandemic, anxiety became a common struggle—among friends, colleagues, even family members. But what really causes it?

Lack of sleep

• Constant worry about the future

• Past trauma or abuse

• Losing someone we love

• Hormonal imbalances or chronic loneliness

• Being disconnected from a daily routine for too long

Anxiety is a battle within. But here’s the truth: we humans have the power to heal ourselves. We just need to understand how.

How Yoga Helped My Friend Heal

During my yoga training, I learned how to manage both the mind and body—and that’s what I shared with her.

Our bodies are machines. And just like machines, they need charging and sometimes even a full reset.

At the core of our physical and emotional functioning lies the central nervous system, which includes:

• The Sympathetic Nervous System – the “fight or flight” response

• The Parasympathetic Nervous System – the “rest and restore” mode

Activating the Sympathetic Nervous System

We activate this system through movement—yoga asanas, stretching, balance work, and mindful breath. Our 30-minute yoga flow included:

Deep stretches

Surya Namaskar

Breathing techniques

These help release stress and gently stimulate the body back into balance.

Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System

After movement, we cool down the body.

This is done through meditation and savasana, where the breath slows down and the mind quiets. Once the parasympathetic system kicks in:

• Blood pressure lowers

• Muscles relax

• The body begins to heal itself

Yoga, in its essence, is a science, and it works in harmony with your body’s internal systems.

A Journey I’ll Always Carry

Witnessing her transformation was deeply fulfilling. And I’m still learning, still growing with yoga. It’s become a lifelong journey of exploration and healing.