Yoga For Anxiety, And Breathing Exercises For Anxiety That Help

Yoga for anxiety: the short answer

Yoga for anxiety has good research behind it, and breathing is a big part of why. A 2018 review of randomised trials (studies where people are put into groups by chance) found yoga eased anxiety by a moderate amount in people with raised anxiety, compared with no treatment. A 2025 review found slow yogic breathing, or pranayama, eased symptoms too, and that fast breathing caused more side effects than slow breathing. So yoga can help with anxiety, alongside care from your doctor, and the breathing exercises for anxiety that work best are slow ones. Here is the article in short form.

• Yoga for anxiety eased symptoms by a moderate amount in a 2018 review.
• In diagnosed anxiety disorders the evidence is weaker.
• In a 2021 trial, yoga beat stress education but not CBT.
• Slow breathing exercises for anxiety help; fast ones need care.
• Four breathing practices we teach, and how to start safely.
• Perimenopause anxiety also eased in a 2025 menopause review.
• Classes run in Darwin and LIVE online, and the first one is free.

Why anxiety matters, and why it is personal for us

Chris Lalor, Flametree’s senior teacher, remembers watching her mother’s world shrink as anxiety took hold in later life. The freeway from Geelong to Melbourne became out of the question. Her mother and partner would take the longer back roads instead, because the unfamiliar route felt too much.

Chris’s own experience was different. She started yoga at 40, and she puts her calm path through perimenopause down to her regular yoga and pranayama practice. That is one person’s experience, not a promise. But it is why we take anxiety seriously, and why this page sets out what the research does and does not show.

Dr Timothy McCall’s poster “117 Health Conditions Helped by Yoga (as found in scientific studies as of June 2019)” lists anxiety first among the more common conditions, along with panic disorder, performance anxiety and PTSD further down. Here is where the research stands now.

How Chris manages her own anxiety, day to day

Daily yoga and breath meditation keep it in its box, and she notices quickly when she skips them. In Chris’s words:

“My dear mother worried too much. It was hard on her, and almost as hard on the rest of us. She also passed a lot of it on to me. A while ago I noticed my eyes were feeling scratchy again, and my eye doctor put it down to stress.”

“Each day I manage it with yoga. If I don’t, it’s dramatically worse. When I do a decent session of yoga and breath meditation each day, the anxiety drops to a level where it is not an issue for me. Even after so many years, I’m surprised by how much it can change from day to day. If I miss my practice, I feel more anxious almost straight away. Then I just get back on my mat in some of the easy, calming poses, and the anxiety goes back in its box. I do the same when I can’t sleep.”

That is one person’s experience, not a promise, and it sits alongside proper medical care. But it is why Flametree runs gentle, restorative and breath meditation classes, and why even simple beginner poses are taught with calm in mind.

How common is anxiety in Australia?

About one in six Australians aged 16 to 85, roughly 3.4 million people, had an anxiety disorder in the past year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2020 to 2022. It is more common in women: 21.1% of women, compared with 13.3% of men.

Chris has also noticed that her posts about anxiety get fewer likes and comments than almost anything else she writes. Many people still feel it is too private to talk about. If that is you, you are far from alone, and a quiet class is an easy place to start.

What does the research say about yoga for anxiety?

• Cramer 2018, Depression and Anxiety. A review of randomised trials. In people with raised anxiety, yoga reduced anxiety by a moderate amount compared with no treatment, and by more than several active comparisons. In people formally diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, no clear effect was found (Cramer 2018).
• Martinez-Calderon 2023, British Journal of Sports Medicine. 23 studies. Yoga did better than control groups for anxiety in people with anxiety disorders, but the certainty of the evidence was very low (Martinez-Calderon 2023).
• Simon 2021, JAMA Psychiatry. 226 adults with generalised anxiety disorder. After 12 weeks, 54% responded to Kundalini yoga and 33% to stress education. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT, a structured talking therapy) did better again at 71%, and the authors concluded CBT should stay the first-line treatment (Simon 2021).
• Wang 2025, International Journal of Nursing Studies. 24 trials in women at menopause. Yoga improved anxiety, low mood and sleep as well as overall menopause symptoms (Wang 2025).

In plain words: yoga helps many people feel less anxious, it is a reasonable thing to add to your care, and it is not a replacement for seeing your doctor or psychologist about an anxiety disorder.

Breathing exercises for anxiety: what the research says

Breathing is the part of yoga you can take anywhere, and the research on it is growing.

• Mütze 2025, Frontiers in Psychiatry. 6 trials, 517 people with mental health conditions. Pranayama eased symptoms by a small amount compared with no extra treatment, and did about as well as standard care. Side effects were more common with fast breathing than with slow breathing (Mütze 2025).
• Fincham 2023, Scientific Reports. 20 trials measured anxiety. Breathwork lowered anxiety by a small amount compared with no breathwork (Fincham 2023).
• Laborde 2022, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 223 studies. Slow breathing raised heart rate variability (a sign the calming side of the nervous system is working), during a session and after training (Laborde 2022).

The message is consistent: slow and gentle works; fast and forceful needs care, especially if you are anxious.

Four breathing exercises for anxiety we teach

These are taught in Flametree’s pranayama (breath meditation) classes. Learn them with a teacher first, then use them at home.

1. Watching the breath. Lie on your back with the chest supported on a folded blanket. Simply notice the breath for a few minutes without changing it.
2. Victorious Breath (AKA Ocean Breath, Ujjayi). A slow, smooth breath with a soft sound in the throat. Make the out-breath a little longer than the in-breath.
3. Interrupted Breath (AKA Staircase breathing, Viloma). The out-breath is taken in two or three small steps with short pauses, which teaches control without strain.
4. Humming breath (Bhramari). A soft hum on each out-breath. Many students find it quietens a racing mind quickly.

Alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) comes later, once these are steady. Fast practices such as skull-shining breath (Kapalabhati) are not the place to start if you are anxious.

What an Iyengar yoga class does for anxiety

• It gives the mind one job. A standing pose asks for precise attention to the feet, the knees and the spine. Students commonly find there is no room left for worry.
• It uses up nervous energy first. Active poses come before quiet ones, which is how the nervous system settles more deeply.
• It ends in supported rest. Restorative poses such as a supported forward bend or legs up the wall let the body switch to “rest and digest”.
• It is safe to be anxious in. You can keep your eyes open, stay near the wall and tell the teacher anything.

A few safe practice notes: tell your teacher if you have panic attacks, as some breath holds and inversions (upside-down poses) are changed or left out. Keep breathing slow. And if anxiety is stopping you living your life, please see your GP as well.

Perimenopause anxiety

Anxiety often rises in the years around menopause, when hormones swing up and down. The 2025 menopause review above found yoga improved anxiety and low mood in women at menopause, as well as overall symptoms (Wang 2025). See our page on yoga for menopause and perimenopause for more.

Honest limits

• Most trials are small, and people know they are doing yoga.
• The effect is clearer for raised anxiety than for diagnosed anxiety disorders.
• CBT did better than yoga in the best head-to-head trial.
• Fast breathing and breath holds can unsettle some people.

Yoga and pranayama are known from practice to calm the mind, and research is now catching up. If you have an anxiety disorder, keep working with your doctor or psychologist and add yoga alongside.

Yoga for anxiety in Darwin, or LIVE online

Flametree Yoga Studio runs beginner, gentle and restorative yoga classes, and early morning pranayama classes, at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. They are taught by certified Iyengar teachers, led by Christine Lalor, Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and certified yoga therapist.

• New to Flametree? Your first class is free. In the studio, just come along. Online, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.
• Keep going at half price. 10 classes at half price plus 2 more free, $59.50, yoga or pranayama, studio, online or both. No discount code is needed, and there is a 14-day money-back guarantee. It is for newcomers and anyone away three months or more.
• Already practising yoga? The non-beginner half price 10 pass with 2 free, $104.50, no code needed.
• See every class time on the beginner timetable.

Read more: yoga for stress relief, how to calm your nervous system, what is pranayama, Bhramari (humming breath) benefits, yoga for sleep, and the benefits of yoga hub.

Yoga for anxiety: questions people ask

Does yoga actually help with anxiety?

For many people, yes. A 2018 review of randomised trials found yoga reduced anxiety by a moderate amount in people with raised anxiety, compared with no treatment. For diagnosed anxiety disorders the evidence is weaker, and in a 2021 trial CBT did better than yoga, so yoga works best alongside proper care.

What is the best breathing technique for anxiety?

Slow breathing with a longer out-breath. Victorious Breath (Ujjayi), Interrupted Breath (Viloma) and humming breath (Bhramari) are good places to start. A 2025 review found slow yogic breathing eased symptoms, and that fast breathing techniques caused more side effects, so leave those until you are experienced.

Does box breathing work for anxiety?

Box breathing (breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold, for equal counts) slows the breath, which is the part that helps. The holds do not suit everyone who is anxious. At Flametree we start with slow breathing and a longer out-breath, and add breath holds later, with a teacher.

How long should I do breathing exercises for anxiety?

Five to ten minutes of slow breathing is a good start, once or twice a day. In a class, pranayama usually runs for 20 to 30 minutes after some poses. Stop if you feel dizzy, and keep the breath smooth rather than forced.

Is yoga or meditation better for anxiety?

They work well together. Yoga poses use up nervous energy and give the mind one thing to attend to, which makes it easier to sit still afterwards. Pranayama is a bridge between the two: a meditation you do with the breath.

Can yoga help with perimenopause anxiety?

A 2025 review of 24 trials in women at menopause found yoga improved anxiety and low mood as well as overall menopause symptoms. Restorative poses and slow breathing are especially useful when sleep is broken and hormones are swinging.

How long before I notice a difference with yoga for anxiety?

Many people feel calmer after one class, especially a restorative or pranayama class. In the trials, measured changes in anxiety usually came after about 8 to 12 weeks of regular practice, often twice a week or more.

Where can I find yoga for anxiety in Darwin?

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches beginner, gentle and restorative yoga and early morning pranayama at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. If you are new to Flametree, your first class is free, then there is a half price 10 class pass with 2 free, $59.50.

Last updated 1 October 2026: added Chris Lalor’s day-to-day account of managing her own anxiety, and the latest Australian figures. General information, not medical advice.

Sources

• Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020 to 2022. abs.gov.au
• Cramer H et al. Yoga for anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Depress Anxiety 2018. doi:10.1002/da.22762
• Martinez-Calderon J et al. Yoga-based interventions may reduce anxiety symptoms in anxiety disorders. Br J Sports Med 2023. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2022-106497
• Simon NM et al. Efficacy of yoga vs cognitive behavioral therapy vs stress education for generalized anxiety disorder. JAMA Psychiatry 2021. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2496
• Mütze C et al. Effectiveness of pranayama for mental disorders. Front Psychiatry 2025. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1616996
• Fincham GW et al. Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health. Sci Rep 2023. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y
• Laborde S et al. Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711
• Wang H et al. The effectiveness of yoga on menopausal symptoms. Int J Nurs Stud 2025. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2024.104928
• McCall T. 117 Health Conditions Helped by Yoga (as of June 2019). Yoga As Medicine, DrMcCall.com.

Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin NT. This article is general information, not medical advice. If anxiety is affecting your daily life, please see your GP.