Yoga therapy for anxiety: a case report.

Yoga therapy is a mind-body intervention that can be an important solution in the treatment of anxiety. Yoga therapy alleviates the hyperarousal of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypervigilance of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that occurs in anxiety. Yoga therapy activates the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, replacing SNS overdrive, or the flight-or-fight response, with the relaxation response and balancing the nervous system. Yoga therapy increases positive coping skills and builds self-esteem without harmful side effects. The results of this case study have demonstrated the clinical efficacy of yoga therapy in the treatment of anxiety and panic disorder (PD) in an adolescent female. Treatment consisted of 4 wks of individual sessions (60-min session/wk) and 6 wks of group sessions (90-min session/wk) with daily home practice. The results of the case study are significant because growing numbers of youth in the United States are presenting with anxiety and seeking nonpharmacological options.