5 Yoga poses to help relieve stress

The last couple of years have forced you to change the way you live, work and play. Homeschooling, work-from-home set ups and trying to stay in contact with loved-ones is keeping us busier than ever. Finding time to relax has never been more vital to our wellbeing.

The practice of yoga is a powerful tool for reducing stress in the mind and body. Your health, emotions, relationships, and general well-being can all be affected so it’s really important to find ways to reduce or manage your stress levels so that you are free to live a happy and healthy life. Particularly during times of stress, a regular yoga practice can be your greatest support, helping you feel more grounded and better equipped to deal with challenging situations.

What type of yoga poses help to promote relaxation and relieve stress?

The best poses for relieving stress in both your mind and body are grounding poses and forward bends. Grounding yoga poses involve your body being connected with the floor or mat beneath you. They help to give your body the stability it needs when your mind feels like it’s chattering with anxiety. Forward bending poses help to create a calming effect throughout your central nervous system. Where other more physically challenging poses, like inversions or balancing poses, may require a lot of focus and physical strength to stay in, grounding and forward folding poses allow you to stay still for longer and allow the mind to settle. They help you to focus on your breathing and allow your mind to begin to relax.

5 yoga poses to help with stress and anxiety

Here are five yoga poses for you to try. Spending 5 minutes in each pose whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed or just need to unwind.

1. Reclined butterfly

This pose is a great place to start, releasing muscle tension around your hips and inner thighs, alleviating lower back pain and tension from your neck and head! Lie on your back, bend your knees, and place feet flat on the ground. Drop your knees out wide with the soles of your feet touching so your legs form a diamond. Place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Focus on your breathing, slowly allowing your whole body to relax and your anxiety start to melt away.

2. Child’s pose

This pose helps you turn your focus inwards; reduce stress, anxiety and mental tension.
Start in an all-fours position. Exhaling, sink your hips back toward your heels and reach your arms out along the floor in front of you. Allow any bodily tension to
release.

3. Legs up the wall

This pose gives the body a much-needed rest, calming the nervous system, aiding in circulation, calming the mind, and taking pressure off the spine and neck as the body sinks into the floor.
Sit down next to the wall, bringing one hip alongside before slowly lying back and bringing the backs of your legs to lie against the wall. Let your hips, back and shoulders sink into the floor, feeling the gentle stretch of your hamstrings

4. Reclined pigeon pose

This pose is great for the hip flexors and stretching out your glutes. People hold a lot of unconscious tension and old emotions in these areas and releasing them can help to relieve mental stress too.
Lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Rest your right ankle on your left knee and turn your right knee out to the side. Reach behind your left leg and gently pull toward you.

5. Seated forward bend

This pose offers a full body stretch across the whole back of your body, lengthening the backs of your legs and your spine. It can help to soothe headaches and anxiety; helping to release both physical tension and calm the mind.
Sit with both legs together, straight out in front of you, toes pointing upward as if they were up against a wall. Keeping your spine long and straight, fold your upper body down from the hips toward your legs, reaching with your hands toward your feet. Allow your hands to rest wherever they can comfortably reach. Relax your shoulders down and away from your ears and soften your elbows. Allow your breath to soften and your eyes to close.

Typically practiced at the end of every yoga class, Savasana or Corpse pose is the best stress-busting yoga pose there is. And it’s super easy to do. Simply lie down flat, somewhere comfortable. Your arms and legs out wide, palms facing up. Allow your body to sink into the floor beneath you and soften your breath as you fully relax. As your mind-body integrates the wealth of benefits from practicing the other yoga poses, Savasana draws you into a sense of deep rest, relaxation and peace.

Top Tips For A Stress-Free Yoga Practice

– Switch your phone to do-not-disturb
– Stay warm, your body will likely cool down as you relax
– Focus on keeping your breathing slow and steady.
– Know there is no right or wrong way. Find what works for you.