Feeling Anxious? When Fight-or-Flight Is Not an Option Try This! by Nicole DeAvilla

When we feel anxiety or fear the unknown, we instinctively hold our breath and tense our body. This prepares us for flight-or-fight, as the saying goes. However, with the stress in today’s world, there is no place to run and no one to physically fight. The best way to release this tension and move beyond the stress is to breathe deeply and move our bodies in productive ways. You can do this with a simple yoga Cat-Cow movement and breathing. 

• Sit on the edge of a chair – or get on your hands and knees.
• Start with your back in neutral.
• Inhale, look up and arch your back like a sway-backed cow as you would to back bend.
• Exhale, look down, pull in your stomach muscles and arch your back in the opposite direction like a cat arching its back.
• Repeat.

Practice with your kids and feel free to hiss like a cat and bark like a dog!