Shaking - anxiety

Yoga Discussion Structural Yoga Therapy
#1

Hi,

Lorraine G, a yoga teacher, asked you some questions pertaining to an issue I have been struggling with while learning massage I had originally brought up the issue of my shaking with my fellow students to get a better understanding of how it felt to be touched by me and how often they felt the shaking whether it was always there and things like that I had been working on it on my own and thought I was doing much better with it but our teacher brought it up as an issue last week.

Lorraine graciously offered to look into some things for me, which was very kind of her. The worse shake is the one that happens in class when we learn new techniques when Iam unsure of my hands I think that one is an anxiety type thing where I fear failure or don’t believe in my hands or am unsure of where to put them once I have practiced that body part it goes away completely though I know it has a psychological basis since I have always been the type to practice new things in private and then once I had some competence at a thing then I would allow others to see me do it I can’t do that here so I think that causes a discomfort in me and leads to the shaking my belief is that it is performance anxiety and worrying about being judged as faulty by an instructor rather than just letting go and doing what I can. The main concern is that it causes a problem if my teachers only see me shake and don’t see that I am getting the techniques so any suggestions you may have would be very helpful.

thanks in advance, M

#2

M - I assume your instructors know what is happening and have given you some suggestions on what to do and who to seek help from. If not let me know, they should be approached about this.

My suggestion is to have you do a form of energy releasing to assist with the deeply seated anxiety that you have. Two techniques come to mind – bioenergetics and polarity therapy. Either can be most helpful as practitioners are shown how these methods interface with counseling and psychotherapy. I owned a massage school in Calif. during the early 80’s and am familiar with their efficacy. My second suggestion is that you do a regular practice of yoga focusing on the Sun Salutation doing this method as much as you can do smoothly and with a flow to the motions that is later adding a flow to your breathing harmonized with the movements. I am sure Lorraine as a yoga teacher could help you learn this. Regularity is most needed to be free of anxiety and its repercussions.

Namaste Mukunda