Do you have anxiety or panic attacks? Have you ever wondered what oriental medicine has to say about curing panic attacks?

Techniques found in China and India have long been known to cure panic attacks and treat anxiety. Yoga and tai chi have been found to be excellent techniques for relaxation and anxiety. Yoga and tai chi are very powerful in the way they affect the mind and that effect can really help people suffering from panic attacks.

Yoga and tai chi work in a similar way to relieve anxiety.

1. Reduce heart rate

Both yoga and tai chi act on stress by lowering the heart rate and synchronizing breathing. By emphasizing that the person is concentrating on their breathing, these disciplines reduce a person’s heart rate. Monks in China and yogis in India can greatly slow down your heart rate. Now, you probably won’t be able to slow your heart down that much, but with a little practice you can slow it down to a resting level. Slowing down your heartbeat is the best and fastest way to immediately decrease your anxiety. This is because the chemical adrenaline is one of the most important things that triggers panic attacks and anxiety. When your heart doesn’t pump fast, it can’t pump adrenaline (the fight or flight hormone) through your body. Lowering your heart rate slows down adrenaline activity.

2. Exercise

The second way that yoga and tai chi help cure panic attacks is by being a source of cardiovascular exercise. Exercising can dramatically reduce stress levels. Doctors and psychologists have found that one of the strongest recipes for anxiety and depression is regular exercise. The way it works is that exercise triggers endorphins, chemicals that make you feel good, while reducing the negative ones. Also, by having to focus on your body while exercising, you give your mind some room to learn to be quiet. You can then reproduce that silence at home to still racing thoughts.

3. The negatives

So should everyone with anxiety or panic attacks try tai chi or yoga? Well, no. These can be really cool and powerful tools, but there are some problems with them. The first problem is that these classes are almost always very expensive. The most affordable yoga resource I have found is Yoga for the People. It is based on donations and is quite affordable at $ 5 per suggested donation per class. However, yoga generally costs around $ 15 per class. That adds up fast! You can do it without classes, but for beginners I really recommend them, and the classes can easily add up to more than $ 100 a month. Most simply cannot afford to spend that much money each month.

Also, this will not be a complete solution. Yoga and tai chi are not meant to cure panic attacks, they just help. To get true relief, you need a more comprehensive behavioral psychology program like the Linden Method. So, in summary, I recommend that you try one of these oriental techniques if you can, but don’t think that it will completely cure you.