05/11/2026
Listening to Anxiety: Finding Pathways Through the Body
A short post by Joanna Barrett, LMHC, LPC, NCC, E-RYT, Sun & Moon Yoga Teacher
There is a moment many of us know well: Your mind begins to race, your chest tightens, and your breath becomes shallow. You may try to think your way out of it, to calm yourself down and regain control, but the more effort you put into “fixing” the feeling, the more activated you become. It can feel frustrating and disorienting, especially when you are doing everything you have been taught to do.
This is often where anxiety is misunderstood, as we are conditioned to believe that anxiety is something to manage, reduce, or eliminate, as if it is a problem to solve.
Anxiety is not simply a pattern of thinking. It is a physiological experience that lives in the body, rooted in the nervous system.
It shapes how we respond to stress, how we perceive safety, and how we move through our daily lives. When we begin to understand anxiety in this way, we can start to shift our approach.
Instead of asking how to make anxiety go away, we might ask what it is trying to communicate. Anxiety can serve as a signal, pointing to overwhelm, a lack of safety, or something within us that needs attention or care. At times, it may arise when we are stepping outside a comfort zone or navigating change, even if that change is meaningful and aligned. When we learn to listen rather than resist, anxiety can become a source of information rather than anything to fear.
But insight alone is not always enough.
We may be able to cognitively understand why we feel anxious, name the patterns, and identify the triggers, and yet we can still get stuck in the physical experience.
This is because anxiety not only lives in the mind, but is also held in the body, sustained by the nervous system. The nervous system does not respond to logic or reasoning alone. It responds to felt experience, to breath, to movement, and to cues of safety that allow it to settle.
When we bring our attention inward to work with the body through yoga asana, pranayama, mudra, and meditation practices, we create the conditions for regulation. The breath begins to deepen, the muscles soften, and the nervous system starts to shift out of a heightened state of activation. In that shift, there is often more space, more clarity, and a greater sense of steadiness. This is not about forcing the body to calm down, but about offering it the support it needs to return to a more harmonious state.
This perspective feeds a gentle and intentional practice, focused on awareness rather than intensity or performance. It is an opportunity to slow down, to listen, and to build a relationship with your body that feels supportive and sustainable over time.
JOIN ME on June 7 for Rooted and Grounded: Yoga for Emotional Balance with Joanna Barrett, a workshop where we will get practical and embodied as we explore these ideas, helping you move beyond understanding and into experience. You will be guided through accessible practices that support your nervous system in settling and finding a greater sense of ease. Together, we will focus on recognizing the early signs of activation, working with the breath and body to support regulation, and developing tools that you can carry into your daily life.
This is not about fixing anxiety or trying to become a different version of yourself.
It is about learning how to meet yourself with greater awareness and care, and trusting that your body already holds the capacity to regulate and restore. With practice, this can become something you return to again and again, especially when you need it most.
If you have been feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or caught in cycles of anxiety, this workshop offers a space to pause and reconnect. It is a chance to step out of the constant doing and into a more grounded, steady way of being. I would love to practice together and support you in this work.
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