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Friday Q&A: Breath Practices for Anxiety

11:26 | Labels: 1:2 breath practice, anxiety, Bhramari, breath practices, exhalation pausing, Pranayama, ujjayi breath

Statue and Bird by Melina Meza

Q: I’ve been having bouts of anxiety lately, especially first thing in the morning after I wake up. Is there a short, simple practice that I can do before I get out of bed that will calm me down so I can start my day in a better emotional state?

A: There definitely are some simple breath practices that you can use in the morning before you get up as well as any time during your day that you may find very helpful! In his post How Your Breath Affects Your Nervous System, Baxter gives the scientific background about why breath practices are so effective. And I myself regularly use a simple breath practice to help me relax when I’m feeling stressed and to help me fall back to sleep if I awake in the night.

I discussed your question with Baxter, and together we came up with a list of three practices that you can choose from. In general, all three are different ways of lengthening your exhalation. Because your heart rate is naturally slower on your exhalation than on your inhalation, making your exhalation longer than your inhalation begins to slow down your overall heart rate, sending a message to your brain that everything is more peaceful and calm than it was five minutes ago. This message encourages your brain to support this shift by activating the Rest and Digest or Relaxation Response (see The Relaxation Response and Yoga), which will reduce your stress hormones, quiet your mind, and hopefully quell your anxiety.

Try all three techniques and see which ones work best for you. When you are initially learning the practices, it is best to do them for shorter periods. But I recommend over time working your way up to ten-minute sessions because it seems to take about 7 or 8 minutes for the Relaxation Response to take full effect. However, in a pinch, even a minute or two of a simple breath practice can help head off an anxiety attack, so even a short session can be very beneficial.

Exhalation Pausing. The simplest breath practice you can do is to pause briefly at the end of each exhalation. You can do this practice in a seated position or even lying in bed, on your back with your head supported by a pillow. Start by practicing basic breath awareness. This means focusing your mind on how your breath moves in your body, perhaps on how your belly rises and falls with your breath or, if it’s easier, how your chest moves with your breath. You could also focus on the more subtle sensations, such as the feeling of your breath moving in and out or your nostrils or, if you prefer, the sound your breath makes in your body. I actually like to lie on my back with my hands on my belly because that makes it very easy for me to feel the movement in my abdomen.

Now you’re ready to try pausing at the end of your exhalation. When you reach the end of your next exhalation, simply add a beat or two—without straining—before moving on to your inhalation. Keep it relaxed and easy. And if the practice irritates you in any way, simply return to your natural breath.

If at any point you realize your attention has wandered from your breath (it will, of course), simply—and without self-judgment—bring your attention back to your breath.

Bhramari (Buzzing Bee) Breath. This breath practice, in which you make a buzzing sound as you exhale, naturally lengthens your exhalation. To practice a simple version of Bhramari, start by inhaling normally through your nose. Then, keeping your mouth closed, make a low- to medium-pitched humming sound in your throat as you exhale. As you make the buzzing sound—which should last the entire length of the exhalation—tune into the literal vibration of the sound waves in your throat and even in your skull and brain. After you complete your exhalation, inhale through your nose, and if you're comfortable, repeat the cycle. Try to make your transitions into and out of each humming exhalation as smooth as possible. See Pranayama for Everyone: Bhramari Breath for more information.

1:2 Breath. In this breath practice, you actually control the length of your inhalations and exhalations, and aim for a ratio of 1:2, for example, a one-second inhalation and a two-second exhalation or a two-second inhalation and a four-second exhalation.

Before starting this practice, spend a little time observing your natural breath and mentally counting the length of your typical inhalations and exhalations. If your inhalation is longer than your exhalation, start by making them the same length by consciously slowing your exhalation.

Once your inhalation and exhalation are equal, try gently increasing the length of your exhalation by releasing air more slowly. Keep your breathing relaxed so you are not straining, and if at any time you begin to feel agitated, simply return to your natural breath. As long as your breath feels smooth and relaxed, continue to gradually increase your exhalation bit by bit until it is twice as long (but no more than twice as long) as your inhalation. If the 1:2 ratio feels uncomfortable or if you're gasping on your next inhalation, return to a ratio that is more comfortable. You can gradually work up to the 1:2 ratio with practice.

Another way to lengthen your exhalation to a 1:2 ratio is to use a gentle version of Ujjayi breathing for your exhalation only. To do this, breath in normally through your nose, with a relaxed feeling in your throat and vocal cords. Then, as you start to exhale, slightly constrict your throat, keeping it very gentle and relatively quiet. This action in your throat is similar to the one who use on your sunglasses when you try to clean them off, and it will naturally slow down your exhalation a bit and bring you closer to the 1:2 ration. As you practice this form of breathing, relax your throat as you inhale, engage your throat a little as you exhale.

Baxter recommends doing a set number of repetitions of the 1:2 breathe, such as six rounds or twelve rounds. Then let your breath return to its natural length and depth, and notice how things feel internally.

If controlling your breath in this manner is stressful, practice the exhalation pausing practice described above instead, and maybe give the 1:2 practice another try after you have some experience with breath work under your belt.

Because chronic stress can exacerbate or even cause anxiety (see Chronic Stress: An Introduction), I think it is also important that you address your overall stress levels in general (see The Relaxation Response and Yoga). So see if you can manage to incorporate some time for gentle or restorative yoga or any form of conscious relaxation into your schedule.

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Anxiety, Yoga, and Brain Chemistry

12:32 | Labels: anxiety, brain chemistry, GABA, Ram Rao

by Ram

Child with Dove by Picasso*

There are so many scientific studies that indicate benefits of yoga (asanas, meditation and pranayama) in combating stress, improving the digestive capacity, helping in the sleeping process, improving the health of the heart and blood vessels, reducing blood pressure, reducing arrhythmia, improving metabolic parameters, including blood lipid profiles, and keeping strokes at bay, all of which result in keeping the individual physically stable.

Furthermore, at the mental/emotional level, yoga contributes to a feel-good response and wards off mental stress. It stimulates the brain in a positive way that results in optimal brain function keeping an individual alert and sharp. Yoga reduces anxiety and depression, and combats age-associated memory loss thereby promoting a mentally stable and active life. The breath work and the need to focus on the asana practice are excellent ways to rein in our emotions. Yoga’s profound beneficial effects on emotional wellbeing and general mental acuity without any side effects prompted Yoga Journal to aptly title one of its articles Better Than Prozac?

While all of the above studies sum up the power of yoga, one may wonder how yoga promotes such numerous benefits. While it does through multiple cellular mechanisms, a couple of recent studies zeroed in on the mechanism by which yoga exerts anxiolytic effects (reversing anxiety disorders). According to these studies, a regular practice of yoga releases a neurotransmitter chemical called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) in a region of the brain called thalamus. In the brain, GABA serves as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, that is, this neurochemical plays a central role in suppressing excess neural activity throughout the nervous system. Hence, individuals who exhibit anxiety disorders, including excessive fear, worry, or anxiety, have reduced levels of GABA that contribute to this disorder. Such individuals are prescribed anti-anxiety medications, such as benzodiazepines, which work by encouraging the synthesis and release of GABA in the central nervous system. Through its inhibitory action, GABA curbs all the ill effects that come from excessive anxiety, worry, or fear.

In the research studies, GABA was shown to be significantly higher in the brains of those subjects who had been doing yoga. When the levels of GABA were compared before and after a one-hour yoga session, the researchers observed a 27% increase in GABA levels. The stretching from the yoga asanas, the brief meditative session and the continuous breathing may be signaling the brain to release GABA, which neutralizes all the negative mood effects in the hours following a session of yoga. Additionally, the elevated levels of GABA following the yoga session were sustained during the 12-week yoga intervention. The authors believe that these sustained levels of GABA over a period of regular yoga practice may help the brain to rewire itself and overcome anxiety attacks in the face of daily stressors.

Interestingly, the studies also indicated that the yoga group displayed greater improvements in mood and decreases in anxiety compared to the metabolically matched walking group, suggesting that the effect of yoga on mood and anxiety goes far beyond than just the metabolic demands of the activity. The researchers’ findings suggest that a simple but regular session of yoga that increases the activity of the GABA could serve as a better alternative than powerful pharmacologic agents that have their own baggage of non-specific side effects.

On a final tipsy note, a similar calming effect can also come from a glass of beer, which mimics the effects of GABA by signaling an analogous mechanism in the brain. However, if I were you, I would finish a long day of work with a one-hour session of yoga rather than having a beer. For I know that the calmness I experience from a glass of alcoholic drink may not last long while the calmness I experience from a yoga session might stay forever.

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When Relaxing Isn't Relaxing

10:35 | Labels: anxiety, conscious relaxation, depression, emotional well-being, Nina Zolotow

by Nina

Cactus Flower by Melina Meza

On Friday, Baxter wrote about how meditation and other forms of conscious relaxation, such as yoga nidra, can be agitating for certain people (see Friday Q&A: Can Meditation Be Dangerous?). I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true for many of us at certain times. Sometimes when you’re feeling anxious or depressed having to sit quietly with your thoughts can be overwhelming. The same thing is true for lying down on your back in Savasana or restorative poses with your eyes closed. Even practicing supported forward bends, which many people find soothing, can cause you to brood rather than quiet down.

A more active yoga practice will be easier for you when you’re depressed or anxious—the physical challenges and mindful movements will engage your mind—yet it’s still important for you to manage your stress (see One Thing: Yoga, Zen, Whatever). So here are some ideas for different things you can try when classic relaxation techniques just aren’t working for you.

Eyes Open: If closing your eyes in Savasana or any restorative pose causes agitation or brooding, try keeping your eyes open but with a soft focus.

Crocodile Pose: Sometimes lying on your back can make you feel exposed and vulnerable (see Anxiety, Yoga and the Front Body). So try lying on your belly in Crocodile pose (Makrasana) instead to see if that is more comforting. If your lower back curves too much in Crocodile pose, place a folded blanket (long rectangle) under your lower belly.

If you don’t find Crocodile comfortable, you could try a supported version of Savasana, as raising your torso higher than your legs might feel better than being flat on your back, or even a side-lying Savasana (see Corpse Pose Variations).

Supported Child’s Pose: Like Crocodile pose, Supported Child’s pose allows you to relax without feeling exposed or vulnerable. Many people actually find hugging their bolsters very comforting. You can turn your head to side and keep your eyes open if that helps; just be sure to turn your head to the other side for an equal amount of time.

Supported Inversions: because the Relaxation response is triggered by your physical position, supported inverted poses don’t require a mental focus (see Why You Should Love Your Baroreceptors). So you can keep your eyes open and even listen to music while you are practicing them and you’ll still quiet your nervous system. These are also great alternatives to forward bends, which cause some people to brood and others just find unpleasant. Of course, as with any pose, if you feel bad in an inverted pose, come out of the pose immediately. See All About Supported Inverted Poses to find a supported inverted pose that's right for you.

Choose Appropriate Breath Practices: Never do a breath practice that makes you feel uncomfortable in any way. Practices that encourage you to take a longer and/or deeper inhalation can actually be agitating for people with anxiety. The safest thing to do is just to practice simple breath awareness. But if that isn’t enough to engage your mind and you keep being distracted by depressing or anxious thoughts, try a practice that’s recommended for your particular state (see Balancing Your Emotions with your Breath).

And please let me know if you have any further recommendations! I'd love to add more ideas to my list.

Finally, if you are a teacher who is teaching one or more students with mental disorders, it is always a good idea to let the class know that if anyone becomes seriously agitated, anxious or depressed during meditation or relaxation, they should stop and raise their hand so you can help them find an appropriate alternative.

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Yoga for Emotional Wellbeing: An Epiphany

10:36 | Labels: anger, anxiety, depression, emotional wellbeing, Nina Zolotow, stress

by Nina

Sand Dollar by Melina Meza

I don’t have a particularly exciting story about why I started practicing yoga. (It’s kind of humorous actually. When I was in my late twenties, I was working at a small software company and we wanted to start an on-site exercise class. One of our co-workers said that his wife could come and teach us, so we decided to give it a go. We had no idea she was a yoga teacher! So there we were, for our first class, and she asked us to stand in “Mountain pose,” with our big toes together and our heels slightly apart, which was the opposite of the foot position I was used to doing in ballet and modern dance, my previous forms of preferred exercise. And just standing that way felt so wonderful for my body, I thought, whatever this is, this is for me!). However, I do have a more dramatic story about why I decided to become a yoga teacher.

During the period when I was studying yoga with Rodney Yee and writing our first book together, Yoga: The Poetry of the Body, Rod helped me understand how my yoga practice was benefiting me in emotional and spiritual ways, as well as physical ones. It turned out that by practicing regularly at home—something I had taken up intuitively rather than with any specific goals in mind—I had been learning to manage my stress, balance my emotions and cultivate equanimity without even realizing it. (If you read the dialogues in the book Yoga: The Poetry of the Body, you can witness Rod helping me toward that realization.) And as someone who had suffered in the past from chronic stress (working full time at a software start-up while raising two children!), which had led to a bout of agitated depression, I began to see the tremendous power yoga had for helping people with emotional difficulties of all kinds, including stress, depression, anxiety, anger, and general dissatisfaction or unhappiness.

Then, one morning when I was practicing yoga with Rod and his best friend, Ian, Ian began talking about how he had just learned that a colleague of his had committed suicide. (Yes, sorry to disillusion you, those guys chatted constantly while they were practicing.) And while I was in Shoulderstand, I kept thinking about about Ian’s story, and filled with compassion for his friend—for the suffering he must have experienced to lead him to take his life—I began to cry. I realized then that while I could not help Ian’s friend, I did have quite a lot of knowledge that I could use to help other people who were suffering. And while I had no particular ambition to become a yoga teacher per se, I understood at that moment that I really should look into finding a way to share what I knew. Yes, it was one of those actual epiphanies (and I had it while I was doing a yoga pose).

After that, I started doing two things. First, I began taking as many workshops as I could from teachers like Patricia Walden, who teaches workshops on Yoga for Depression (I took that more than once!) and Yoga for Emotional Healing, and Roger Cole, who teaches about the physiology of inversions. Then, I enrolled in a three-year teacher training program at The Yoga Room, in Berkeley. Clearly I believe in being thoroughly prepared! Finally, when I felt ready (and when I got the go-ahead from Patricia, who was informally mentoring me) I did begin teaching workshops on Yoga for Emotional Wellbeing, Yoga for Stress and Yoga for Better Sleep. Those were rewarding—there is nothing like having even just one person tell you that you made a difference in their lives by teaching them a simple practice, like breath awareness—and I still teach them occasionally. But I eventually realized that writing is still my forte and that I could reach a larger audience through my writing than by teaching local workshops.

When Baxter and I came up with the idea of starting a blog, I realized that a blog could be the perfect venue for me; having our own blog would allow me to give myself the power to write about what I wanted to write about, the way I wanted to write about it (frankly, the way some publications edit/rewrite you can be positively painful). And because the blog was free and accessible world wide, I could reach people who would never be able to study with me in person.

Because I not only write for the YFHA blog but I’m also the Editor in Chief, I work on the blog at least five days a week (and sometimes behind the scenes on the weekends). And that takes a lot of dedication. But that original epiphany I had in Shoulderstand and my ongoing passion for sharing what I know about the emotional and spiritual benefits of yoga—as well as the physical ones—are a wellspring that never runs dry.

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Yoga for Performance Anxiety

12:53 | Labels: anxiety, Baxter Bell, performance anxiety

by Baxter

The Violin by Juan Gris

On our blog we have espoused the benefits of yoga techniques for many health conditions. One the most common life situations that prompts us to become anxious and to over-stimulate our Fight or Flight response is the need to periodically “perform” for others. Performing can take the form of presentations in the academic world, starting at a very young age all the way up to the defense of one’s PhD thesis (that doesn’t sound stressful, does it!). It could be in the joyful context of the bride and groom’s dance on your wedding day when neither one of you are dancers. It is a common expectation in many corporate settings that you will give presentations to your fellow workers or prospective clients. As a young violinist, I recall vividly the levels of anxiety that I would experience prior to performing in violin competitions (that’s right, vying for $ against other little violinists) and as a soloist with the Toledo Youth Symphony in my sophomore year of high school. I weathered those stressful, stormy events, but I can only wonder at how it might have been if I had been practicing yoga and meditation as a youngster. I received this story via Facebook from a student I met on one of my teaching weekends in North Carolina, and thought that it speaks for itself and was worth sharing. Thanks to Janet for allowing me to share it with you here today!

Violin-Yoga

by Janet Orenstein

As many of you know I played a recital with Allison Gagnon last night at UNCSA -- only my second recital in 17 years (the first was last year, also with Allison). I walked onstage forty minutes before it started to check a tempo and found myself to be in almost a state of panic. My heart started racing and my hands went clammy and cold. My mind was racing. I went backstage to my room and had the impulse to just keep playing the violin until I felt better. Thankfully some inner wisdom stayed this impulse. My body was in trouble, but somehow I knew the difficulty was in my mind. I kept thinking about my students being at the recital, and how only a few had ever heard me play. Their primary teacher is Ida Bieler, a phenomenal powerhouse of both teaching and playing, who leaves me in awe on most occasions. I saw that I was terrified of not being worthy. What on old story! But what to do? Didn't Terry Brown (a fabulous yoga teacher) teach me that extending my exhales will calm the nervous system? How many times had I practiced that very thing in yoga class? (And how many repetitions of the same information does it take for me to learn?) So ten minutes later when Brooks came backstage to wish me luck, he found me sitting in the dark, breathing. In fifteen minutes my heart slowed and my hands stopped feeling cold. My mind still raced, but ten minutes later that too started to slow down. I tuned my fiddle and went backstage. Allison smiled at me and we went onstage to play Ives. She starts the piece alone and I listened to her. I was there with her, and, miraculously, I remained present the entire recital. I felt that rare and powerful connection to another human being that communicates trust. I was listening and reacting, and I felt heard and reacted to. That has got to be yoga, right? It was a blast. We were in sync and nothing else really mattered at all. I forgot my students; I forgot the entire audience. I remembered that this is why I play the violin. Thank you, Allison, and thank you to all my numerous teachers of violin and yoga. And of course, thank you to my students, who as it turns out, are also my teachers.

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Is hope the opium of the un-present masses? Pulling an Eckhart Tolle during practice (and also pulling something else)

12:18 | Labels: anxiety, Eckhart Tolle, injury, Matthew Sweeney, pain, trapezius, vinyasa count

I have a bad feeling that this is going to be one of those posts that contribute to the popular (mis?)conception of Ashtangis as self-torturing pain junkies who delight in inflicting pain on themselves. I hope I don't contribute too much to Ashtanga's already bad rep in this area. But everything that I'm about to describe here actually happened yesterday and during this morning's practice. So I can at least say that I am being honest, if nothing else.

Before I go on to tell the story proper, I think it would be useful for me to give you a little background story. I am going through a rather nerve-wracking and angst-provoking time in my life right now: I don't particularly feel like going into the details here (although I might when all this is over, however it turns out), so you'll have to bear with me for being a little vague about things here. Suffice to say that I am waiting for a couple of things to fall through (or not), and I'll know in a couple of days whether they do. Right now, there is nothing to do except wait. And wait some more. And in the meantime, continue to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, do the practice, blog, and try to stay sane the whole time. I have tried reading Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, but honestly, it hasn't been helping much. He's just too harsh and rational about this whole being in the present moment thing for my state of mind right now. For example, at one point in his book, in response to somebody who said, "Surely we need hope to keep us going, and hope is always hope that things will turn out better in the future. So doesn't having hope imply not being in the present moment?" To this, Tolle replied that if one is fully present in the moment, one doesn't need hope: When one is able to fully savor the present moment, what use is there for hope for the future? I'm paraphrasing, as I don't have the book on me right now, but I'm pretty sure I captured the essence of his reply. I don't know about you, but I think this is kind of harsh. I mean, it does make for a certain logical kind of sense: If you are fully, fully present, you won't need to hope for anything in the future. But I think it is no exaggeration to say that we humans are hardwired by centuries of cultural conditioning to hope for a better future when things get rough. And, to borrow a phrase from Marx, perhaps Tolle is saying that hope is the opium of the un-present masses, just as religion was the opium of the masses on Marx's view. And maybe it's just me, but isn't it a little bit cruel to deny a frail mortal like me even the opium of hope in a time like this? Well, I'm guessing that Tolle will disagree here; he'll probably say that I need to go "cold turkey" and use this difficult time in my life as an opportunity to rid myself once and for all of the opium of hope. Whatever. Go to hell. (Yikes! What did I just say?)

To add insult to possible injury, I was talking with a friend yesterday about my present situation. He listened for a while, and then suggested that I take a bigger-picture view of things as they are right now. Even though things are not going quite as I would like them to go, there are many blessings in my life: Good health, a yoga practice, etc. He then proceeded to point out that material possessions and worldly position are really quite insignificant in the light of this bigger picture. Wow... this is what happens when one reads Eckhart Tolle: Even your friends start to sound like him.

But here's another ironic twist: As much as a certain part of me refuses to buy into any of Tolle's talk about being in the present, the Ashtanga practice seems to be the one thing that is actually fostering such presence in my life right now. This morning, I woke up with a rather funky mood. My whole body felt stiff and heavy, and I did not feel like practicing at all. Well, okay, I asked myself, what are you going to do then? Go back to sleep? But I somehow knew more sleep was probably not going to make me feel much better: If anything, I'll probably end up feeling even heavier and stiffer a couple of hours down the road. So I gingerly rolled out my Mysore rug, and started moving through the practice. As I got into primary series, an idea suddenly struck me: The last couple of days, I had been re-reading Matthew Sweeney's Astanga Yoga As It Is, and familiarizing myself with the Sanskrit vinyasa count of the postures and transitions in primary. It's pretty funny to say this, but as much of an Ashtangeek as I am, I have actually never gotten the exact Sanskrit vinyasa count in the seated postures of primary down pat. I figured that now would be the time to rectify this gap in my Ashtanga career :-) Anyway, as I got into primary this morning, I suddenly thought it would be kind of cool to recite the vinyasa count mentally to myself as I did each of the postures. So on I went: Sapta, inhale and jump into posture. Ashtau, exhale and hold for five breaths. Nawa, inhale and exhale there. Desa, inhale lift up. Ekadesa. exhale into chaturanga. And so and so forth. And since Sweeney does the traditional long count, he doesn't "reset" the count to Sapta on the second side of the posture, but continues with the count on the first side. So I get to count all the way up to Ekonavimsatihi (I really love the sound of this particular word!) and then Vimsatihi, which is when you exhale into downdog before starting from Sapta again and jumping into the next posture of the series.

It's really interesting, but before I knew it, I realized that counting the vinyasa to myself really helped to remove all extraneous thoughts from my mind. Who knew that one could pull an Eckhart Tolle simply by doing the vinyasa count? Maybe one day, when all this shit that I am presently going through is over (I know, I know, I'm not being present again, but whatever...), I'll teach a workshop titled, "Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and Eckhart Tolle: How to use the Traditional Vinyasa Count to bring greater presence into your practice". Maybe you come? :-)

Another, less pleasant thing also happened during practice this morning. My upper back muscles, especially the Trapezius, goes through periods of tightness. Such tightness tends to recur during periods of stress or anxiety. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been feeling this tightness from time to time whenever I sit in front of my computer or when I am reading. These past couple of mornings, I have been feeling the tightness during practice itself, especially when I lift my legs to put them behind my head in Supta Kurmasana. But I thought that if I moved into and out of the pose carefully, I'll probably be fine. And in a sense, I was right. Nothing major happened in Supta Kurmasana this morning. But something major did happen as I rolled over into my second Chakrasana (the one following Setu Bandhasana). As I rolled my legs over my head to go into downdog, I felt this sharp pulling sensation in my trapezius. Somehow, I still managed to land my feet in downdog. But I knew the damage had been done. Damn... no more Chakrasana (and probably also no more putting legs behind head in Supta Kurmasana) for the next few days, or maybe even for the next few weeks. We'll see. Anyway, my traps have been aching since then. In fact, they are aching right now, even as I am typing these words. I am doing a whole bunch of gentle trapezius stretches throughout the day to relieve the soreness. But the funny thing is, even this pain has its upside: It is making me more present in my body, and causing me to fixate less on the other things in my life that are causing great anxiety. I guess this says something about my state of mind, when I am actually at a point where I actually prefer physical pain to mental anxiety. I hope this doesn't mean that I need to go see a psychiatrist or something. Scary. Anyway, I guess I'll sign off here. More later.

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blog archive

Friday Q&A: Breath Practices for Anxiety

Anxiety, Yoga, and Brain Chemistry

When Relaxing Isn't Relaxing

Yoga for Emotional Wellbeing: An Epiphany

Yoga for Performance Anxiety

Is hope the opium of the un-present masses? Pulling an Eckhart Tolle during practice (and also pulling something else)