Stressed people get trapped in their own feeling and emotions. It can be due to work load, bad relationships, health problems and an insufficient amount of rest. Today’s era, more than half of the population are suffering from stress and anxiety.
According to the American Institute of Stress, “73% of the population in the US, regularly experiencing psychological stress symptoms.”
Stress makes most of the people awake overnight. To get relieves from the stress, people are moving towards medicine, calming tea, therapy and spa treatments.
But this is not the correct way to manage your stress and anxiety for a longer time. Yoga is the best therapy that helps to calm down your mind through meditation, breathing techniques, and exercise for the longer duration by training your mind.
Yoga is the union of body, mind, and soul. Practicing yoga regularly can lower down your blood pressure, calm down your mind and nervous system. Therefore its work effectively in relieving stress and releasing physical and emotional blocks.
Our list of 15 easy yoga poses for stress and anxiety will not only cool down your mind but also helps to make your body fit and flexible.
Why stressed and how we can control it?
Workload, family and relationship, money, job, and health, no matter whatever the reason for your stress.
Most of the time it happens, when our desire didn’t come true as we want and eventually we fall in stress. So, why you think that everything will work as per your desire?
This is your first mistake that leads to stress because, there are certain things that you can’t control in your life ( It’s good to be positive, but its true).
So what is the correct way to deal with stress?
Let it go! Everything is temporary!!
Sometimes the best thing that you can do is: Not think, Not wonder, Not imagine, Not obsessed, just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best.
If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem can’t be solved, then why worry?
Yoga is one of the best way to be healthy and mentally stable.And for stress, here are 15 yoga pose you can do at home for stress relief.
15 Yoga Pose for Stress Relief
1). Sukhasanan: Easy Sitting Pose
For inner peace and calm, sukhasanan is one of the easy and relax pose for stress. This will help to cool down your nervous system and reduce mental and physical fatigue.
This stress relieving yoga pose will keep you feel grounded and enhance your inner peace as you will sit in relaxing pose.
This pose helps to eliminate anxiety, physical stress, mental exhaustion, fatigue and gives you an amplified state of serenity. This is the best yoga pose for stress relief, as you need to sit in silence for 5 minutes.
How much time to do:
Sit relax in this position at least for 5 to 10 minutes to get relieved stress. Just remember to focus on the breath.
2). Marjaryasana: Cat Pose
This yoga position look like a cat, therefore, called as “Cat Pose”. To do this stress relieving pose, you need to get on your hands and knees. Now, exhale as you round your spine toward the ceiling.
It gives a gentle massage to your spine and belly that helps to relieve stress. This is easy to do yoga for stress that anyone can do. Beginners can do this pose for little warm up before going into a complicated yoga sequence.
How much time to do:
Remain in this position for 30 seconds, to cool down your body and relax your back muscles. Therefore, it helps to relieve stress.
3). Bitilasana: Cow Pose
Cow and cat pose are performed simultaneously to relax your spine and nerve system. Inhale, and curve your belly down towards the floor to stretch chest and neck.
In spite of relieving stress, it helps to improve the flexibility of the spine. This pose will warm up your spine cool down your mind and helps to relieve stress and anxiety.
Both cow- cat yoga pose is very simple yoga for stress relieving that people of any age can practice.
How much time to do:
30 seconds are enough to practice this pose. During cat cow pose, your chest muscles expand and allow you to take a deep and slow respiration. This process will encourage to bring fresh oxygen to the mind and relieves stress.
4). Balasana: Child’s Pose
One of the relaxing and restful pose yogis performed in between challenging asana for relaxation. It stretches hips, thighs, and ankles while reducing stress and fatigue.
This pose relaxes the muscles of front and back torso to relieve neck and back pain.
One of the simple yoga for stress relieving that beginners can also practice easily. Just sit on knees and bend your body and arms forward by your side. Rest your forehead on the ground to relieve stress and anxiety.
It can also be done by keeping both of arms alongside the body rather than over the head. Do in which position you feel comfortable and relax.
How much time to do:
60 seconds is enough to relieve stress from back, neck, and shoulder.
5). Bhujangasana: Cobra Pose
For immediate relaxation, lie down on your stomach and place your hands under shoulder and inhale while lifting your chest off the floor.
It helps to open up your chest and ease in breathing and asthma, therefore known as highly effective yoga for stress. It’s also part of a sequence of yoga posture in sun salutation (Surya Namaskar).
This pose is useful for relieving pain in back, neck and abdomen muscles.
How much time to do:
Try to perform this asana at least for 30 seconds to calm down your mind and body.
6). Uttanasana: Standing forward bend
Standing forward bend relieve mild depression, stress, and anxiety while cooling down your nervous system.
Exhale, and bend your body forward while trying to touch your fingers straight on the floor. This will put extreme pressure on your lower back and neck, and soothe the neck and back pain too.
Bending forward with your head down give a gentle massage to your nervous system and helps to circulate fresh blood in nerve cells and face. Therefore work effectively to relieve stress and anxiety.
This pose will also help in constipation and indigestion while providing a sense of balance positioning the heart exactly at the center of the body. Improve flexibility too.
How much time to do:
Its calming properties make it best yoga pose for stress and anxiety. 60 seconds will cost you nothing if are going through a physical, emotional and mental stress.
7). Ananda Balasana: Happy Baby Pose
As the name implies, “happy baby pose” will fill your mind and soul with calmness and happiness by enhancing your mood. This gentle stretch you can do before going to bed, to relieve from fatigue and tension.
It will take you to the extreme of relaxation and give a gentle massage to your body. For hip and lower back pain, its work amazing.
As s support, you can use folded blanket or small pillow under your neck. This will help to give more relaxation by keeping your nerve cool and calm.
If you are suffering from prior neck and knee injury, then take precaution or consult your family doctor for best advice. Pregnant ladies also should not practice this asana unless a skilled yoga expert modifies the pose for her separately.
How much time to do:
This asana will take you to the extreme level of relaxation and help you to fall asleep. It depends, how much time you want to be in relaxed position. But at least 2-3 minutes is enough time to relieve your stress and calm down your mind. Perform it before going to bed to fall asleep. This is proven best yoga for stress management and sleep.
8). Uttana Shishosana: Extended Puppy Pose
If you have practiced downward facing dog and child pose, then this will be easy for you to do better, as it is cross pose between the two asanas.
This pose relieves physical stress as well as mental stress and helps to calm your mind. In spite of stress relieving, it improves the flexibility of spine, hips, shoulders and upper back.
How much time to do:
Relax your mind and body for 30 seconds to 1 minutes as this helps to release the happy hormones to boost up your mood and calm down your mind.
9). Paschimottanasana: Seated Forward Bend
This pose will take your mind from stress to relaxation. It’s basic yet more challenging yoga for stress relieve, for beginners. But works wonder on back flexibility and strength.
This pose stretches the spine, lower back, and knees, and helps to improve digestion, relieves in menopause, stimulate liver, kidney, and ovaries.
People having back and neck injury should take advice from experts as it requires extra stretching of back and neck muscles.
How much time to do:
5-10 second. Don’t stretch too much if you are a beginner, just go easy. If you have back and neck injury then practices it carefully and seek for doctor advice.
10). Viparita Karani: Leg up the wall pose
If you are feeling exhausted and have less time for relaxation, then this is one of the best happy yoga for stress relief.
Do less and relax more while keeping your legs up on the wall. This will help to relax your leg and back while boosting the blood circulation to the upper body.
To release tensions from legs, you can practice this asana before going to bed to falling asleep.
How much time to do:
Do at least for 60 seconds, or you can increase the time as you desired to cool down your stress. Avoid or check for doctors’ advice if are experiencing high blood pressure.
11). Bridge pose: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
The bridge pose is the best yoga for stress and anxiety. This pose relaxes your back and helps to strengthen and tone thighs and hips muscles.
The health benefits of this pose are numerous, like, maintain blood pressure, and reduce back pain, headache, sleep disorder and fatigue.
Keep your feet flat on the floor, inhale while lifting your hips and chest.
How much time to do:
Remain in this position at least for 30-60 seconds initially. It works amazingly to improve bad postures and relax the mind.
12). Ustrasana: Camel pose
This pose opens up the entire body from head to toes. It helps to create the space in the chest and open the heart chakra that releases the blocked energy and old emotions.
This is powerful yoga for stress relief and to get rid of emotional stress as well.
The best bending position will strengthen your body and improve the flexibility of your backbone and neck. Instead of all these, it helps to improve your eye vision and digestion.
How much time to do:
Practice at least for 30 seconds to let this pose work for your mental and emotional stress.
13). Puppy dog on chair:
Its simple yoga pose for stress relieves and modified version of downward dog pose. For this gentle stretch, keep your arms on the back of the chair and step your feet back and bend forward from the hips while lowering down your torso.
Both of your arms should be extended and parallel to the floor. To deepen the stretch, press your hips back.
Its work as well warms up for your whole body and relax your shoulders and hip muscles while cooling down your nerve and mind.
How much time to do:
Practice this pose for 4-5 deep breathe in 30-60 seconds. This can also be practiced in the office to relief from minor stress.
14. Halasana: Plow Pose
No doubt this is good yoga for stress relieving, but a bit difficult pose for beginners. It’s highly beneficial for people who are suffering from the thyroid disorder.
It will stretch your whole body and improve the blood circulation of your nervous system to calm down your mind.
Don’t try to touch your toes completely on the floor, initially. Don’t stretch too much, go easy.
How much time to do:
Even single seconds will be a long time period for you to experience this pose. So take the small interval of time, like 5-10 seconds initially. Then raise your time gradually for more perfection.
15). Savasana: Corpse Pose
One of the most calming yoga pose for stress management. You don’t need to practice anything, just lie down for some time and feel relaxed.
No yoga session is complete without this savasana (corpse pose), as it helps to cool down your mind and body at the same time. It takes your body from stress to a state of deep rest and relaxation.
There is no yoga meant to beat the complete work stress and anxiety apart from this pose. You just need to close your eyes and focus on your breath.
I am sure after few minutes, your body will not allow you to wake up from this position as this provides an extreme stage of relaxation.
How much time to do:
As much as you want, there is no time limit for this resting pose. It deeply relaxes your body and mind. So be relaxed and rejuvenate your body to relieve stress and anxiety. Enjoy happy and cheerful life with your family and friends.
15 Yoga for Stress Relief [Infographic]:
