Can Relaxation Cause Anxiety?

Do you ever feel anxious when doing relaxing activities like yoga, meditation, or getting a massage?

If you answered yes, you are one of  the 15%-20% of people who experience anxiety during formal relaxation training. 

Relaxation-induced Anxiety (RIA) is a significant problem in meditation programs, as we are interested in helping people feel less anxious and certainly don’t want to cause people to feel worse. RIA might also account for the relatively high number of individuals that drop out of a meditation practice, believing that they “can’t” meditate or that meditation cannot help them.

We recommend that those who experience RIA begin with either a Focus meditation practice or an Open Heart meditation practice. These practices are more likely to result in a neutral or positive experience.

As you gain more skills in meditation and gradually increase comfort with feelings of relaxation, you may be able to try Mindfulness and Quiet Mind practices.

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