Yoga For Stress Relief: 12 Easy Yoga Poses for Inner Peace

Everyone experiences stress in everyday life to some extent. Actually, Stress is normal and it can differ from person to person. For example, two persons are stuck in a serious traffic jam, one person may become angry while another might consider it a short inconvenience. Stress may cause due to several reasons but it affects our body and mind. Yoga for stress relief is a powerful tool that connects our body and mind. Even a simple yoga pose has the power to calm your mind and relax your body in just 5-10 minutes. Regular yoga practice can lead to improving physical health and mental health as well. A lot of studies show that yoga is beneficial for the body, it helps you reduce stress, prevent diseases and help slow down the aging process. Take a look through this article to know step-by-step instructions on how to perform yoga for stress relief.

Why Yoga For Stress Relief?

Regular Yoga practice can help you stay calm and relaxed. Yoga is so much more than just physical exercise that gives you the strength to not worry too much or get anxious about the unknown future. Yoga is for everyone, whether you are young or old, yoga has the power to calm the mind, relieve the stress and strengthens the body. Yoga practice includes body postures (asanas), breathing techniques, the meditation that train your body and mind to be able to cope with stress better and improve overall health. Yoga can benefit our body, mind, and breathing that are often affected by stress. Some proven benefits of yoga for stress relief are as follows.

• Decrease the levels of the stress hormone cortisol
• Can relieve many types of chronic pain
• Can lower anxiety
• Can lower blood pressure for frequent practitioners
• Promotes better sleep

12 Easy Yoga For Stress Relief

Here are 12 yoga poses on this webpage that may your great stress management tool like no other. Do these yoga poses every day and stay in each pose for 3 – 5 minutes, slow breaths before moving on to the next one. If you are short of breath then listen to your body and if your body feels to come normal, go for it. Yoga is one of the best ways to reduce stress and calm the mind. Some yoga poses are particularly effective for relieving stress, which is given below.

Child’s Pose:

Child pose is also known as resting position is a therapeutic posture for relieving stress. This pose helps to stretch the hips, thighs, and ankles muscles. It is the simple yoga form that calm your mind, slow your breath and restore inner peace. Regular practicing this yoga pose is very beneficial for relieving back and neck pain. If you have a knee injury, do not practice this pose.

Instructions:

1. First of all, Come to your hands and knees on the yoga mat.
2. Spread your knees keeping the tops of your feet on the floor and your big toes touching.
3. After that exhale and touch your hips to the heels and rest your buttocks on your heels.
4. Sit up straight and bow forward while exhalation and bring your belly to rest on your thighs and your forehead to the floor.
5. Now you can stretch your arms in front of you with the palms touching the floor or bring your arms back with your palms facing up for deeper relaxation.
6. Stay in this position for a minute or as long as you feel comfortable.
7. To release the pose use your hand to sit back on your heels.

Standing Forward Bend:

Standing forward band is a simple yoga pose that has some amazing effect on your body. It not only helps to eliminate stress but also rejuvenates your body. This pose increases the blood circulation in your head instead of your feet because your head is below the heart. The standing forward band is a stress-relieving pose and stretches the hamstrings and calves. Moreover, it also helps relieve insomnia. If you have any injury to lower back then you must avoid this pose.

Instructions:

1. Simply stand straight on your yoga mat, inhale and rest your hand on your hips.
2. Exhale and bend forward, folding from the hip joints, not from the waist and keep the balance of the body.
3. Bring your fingertips or palms in line with the toes while keeping your knees straight.
4. Hold up this position for 30 to 60 seconds at least.
5. To release this pose don’t roll the spine, inhale and place your hands onto your hips

Rabbit Pose:

Rabbit pose gives a good massage to the spine and postural muscles and also stimulate the abdominal muscles, which improves digestion. This pose increases the blood circulation in the brain and sensory organs improving concentration and memory power. It is also one of the best yoga for stress relief. It is not good to practice rabbit pose (Sasangasana) if you have any chronic injury to the knees, neck, shoulder, and spine.

Instructions:

1. As we have discusses the child pose and instructions to do child pose. Come in the position of child pose and hold onto the heels with the hands.
2. After that pull the forehead in towards the knees while the top of the head touching the floor.
3. Hold your heels tightly, inhale and lift the hips up towards the ceiling.
4. Roll onto your head’s crown so that your forehead touching your knees as close as possible.
5. Stay in this position for at least 5 breaths.
6. To release slowly exhale and come in child position by resting hips on heels and forehead back to the floor.

Eagle Pose:

Eagle pose also known as Garudasana is named after the King of Birds, Eagle (Garuda). This pose helps to develop strength, focus, and serenity. Eagle pose is a good workout for the shoulders and upper back. This pose provides strength to the thigh, hips, ankle, and calves. Eagle pose increases breath capacity and reduces the risk of asthma. If you are suffering from a recent knee injury, do not practice this pose. Those in late-pregnancy should also not practice this pose.

Instructions:

1. Begin in mountain pose and transfer your weight into your left leg.
2. Lift your right foot up off the floor and cross your right thigh over your left. If possible, hook your right foot around your left calf.
3. Now, Bring both arms out in front of you, bend your elbow and cross the left arm over the right so that the palms are now facing each other.
4. Keep your spine verticle straight and hold this pose for 30 seconds or as much as you can.
5. To release this pose return to mountain pose (tadasana) and repeat the same on the opposite side.

Plow Pose: Yoga for Stress Relief

Plow pose is the best yoga for stress relief. This pose stretches the spine, shoulder and rejuvenating the nervous system. Some Yoga gurus suggested to practice plow pose near the end of a yoga class because this pose calms and relaxes the nerves, brain, and heart. It also provides the massage to the abdomen by pressing it and improves the functioning of the digestive organ. This yoga pose is also beneficial for thyroid patients because it stimulates and regulates the thyroid gland. Do not practice this pose if you have neck or serious back injury. You should avoid this pose during diarrhea, glaucoma or other eye problems.

Instructions:

1. Rest you back flat on the yoga mat and place your palms on the mat along the side of the body.
2. Inhale and lift your feet perpendicular off the floor and support your hips joint with your hands.
3. Slowly lower your feet above and beyond your head, your toes touching the floor.
4. Keep your leg straight and top thighs and tailbone toward the ceiling or sky.
5. For a variation, you can release the arms along the floor, palms down behind your back or interlace the fingers behind your back.
6. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds or 4-10 breaths.
7. To release this pose, place your hand back on the hips and slowly roll the spine back onto the floor.

Corpse Pose:

Corpse pose is popularly known as the relaxation or final pose of a yoga class. It may seem one of the easiest yoga for stress relief but it can actually be very tough to learn and practice well. Corpse pose is a meditative state of rest which brings deep relaxation and relieve stress. This pose is very helpful to control blood pressure, anxiety, and insomnia.

Instructions:

1. Rest your back flat on the yoga mat with your legs straight and arms alongside the body.
2. Keep your legs comfortable and arms a little bit apart from the body, your palm facing upward.
3. Close your eyes, take breaths slowly and relax your entire body.
4. Slowly scan the body and allow your breath to relax you more and more.
5. Practice this pose for 5-15 minutes.
6. When you feel completely relax, gently open your eyes to release this pose.

Puppy Pose: Yoga For Stress Relief

Puppy pose is one of the easiest poses to lengthens the spine and calms the mind. This pose is a combination of child pose and downward-facing dog pose. We can not neglect this pose when we talk about yoga for stress relief. It stretches the spine deeply and relieves the stress. This pose is also beneficial for upper arms, neck, shoulders, back, chest, hips, abdomen and hamstrings.

Instructions:

1. First of all start on your yoga mat in the tabletop pose. Keep your hips above your knees and stack your shoulder over your wrists.
2. Exhale and slowly walk your hands forward, allow your chest to melt toward the floor.
3. Either rest your forehead on the mat or gently rest your chin on the mat.
4. Allow your shoulder to relax and your spine should be straight.
5. Press more firmly through the hands with the elbows slightly off the ground and pull the hip back.
6. Hold this pose for 20-30 seconds or longer if you feel comfortable with this pose.
7. To release this pose slowly lift your head from the floor and back into the tabletop pose by walking your hands back.

Cow Pose:

The cow pose is beneficial for the spine and abdominals. This pose helps to improve circulation in the disc in your back and maintain a healthy spine. This pose is linking with the breath and movement, that is why it is also believed to be a good yoga for stress relief.

Instructions:

1. Start this pose on your hands and knees to form a tabletop position.
2. Your hand should be straight underneath your shoulders and align your knees and hips perpendicular.
3. Inhale and drop your belly towards the mat and raise your chin, tilt your head back.
4. Exhale and come to a tabletop position to release this pose.
5. Repeat this for 10-20 times

Cat Pose:

Cat pose is a gentle backbend that stretches the back of the torso and relaxes the neck. As the name suggests, this pose looks like an angry cat stretching its back. This pose helps to improve your posture, balance and also circulation of the disc in your back. You are suggested to do this pose in control and smoothly to prevent injury or strain.

Instructions:

1. First of all, come to the tabletop position.
2. Keep your arms perpendicular to the floor and underneath your shoulder.
3. Begin by moving into cow pose, inhale and drop your belly toward the mat, gaze up towards the ceiling keeping your shoulder away from ears.
4. Hold this cow pose for a few breaths.
5. Now, exhale and draw your belly towards your spine and soften your gaze downward making a round of your back towards the ceiling.
6. Hold this pose for few breaths that look like a cat stretching its back.
7. Inhale and come into cow pose, exhale to come in cat pose.
8. Repeat this yoga for 10-20 times

Standing Side Stretch:

This pose stretches the side beck, chest and diaphragm muscles to reduce stress. Standing side bend is beneficial for those people who sit on the chair for long hours. This pose provides strength to intercostal muscles which help support the ribs.

Instructions:

1. Stand straight or simply in mountain pose while your big toes touching to each other.
2. Keep your both arms straight up overhead and lock your finger.
3. Now rotate your arms such that your palm facing the ceiling.
4. Keep your ears, shoulder and hips straight.
5. Exhale and lean to the right with the upper body and hold this position for few breaths.
6. Inhale and come back to standing position.
7. Exhale and lean to the left, repeat this pose 10-15 times both sides.

Dolphin Pose:

Dolphin pose is one of the most effective yoga for stress relief but it is not easy to do this pose. It is a pack of many benefits and increases the flexibility of the spine, hamstrings, and calves. This pose helps to calm the mind, relieve stress and depression.

Instructions:

1. Start with your hands and knees on the yoga mat.
2. Now place your forearms on the mat and elbows shoulder-width apart.
3. Bring your hands closer and interlace fingers.
4. Exhale and press your hips back and up and let your head hang freely.
5. Keeps your legs straight if you feel comfortable otherwise you can slightly fold your knees to maintain the length of the spine.
6. To release this pose drop your knees on the mat.

Head to Knee Forward Bend:

Head to Knee Forward Bend relieve anxiety and provide stretches to the spine, hamstrings, and groins. This pose is also beneficial for high blood pressure and insomnia. It also helps to improve the digestion system by massaging the liver and kidney. The people who are currently suffering from asthma and diarrhea should avoid practicing this pose.

Instructions:

1. Sit on the yoga mat with your legs straight in front of you.
2. Keep your both legs straight, exhale and extend forward from the groins, not the hips.
3. When you reach your maximum forward bending limit, hold your feet. If you are not able to hold your foot, you may hold on to your ankle or calf.
4. Keep your spine straight and hold this position for 1 to 3 minutes.
5. To release this pose, inhale and come up in the start position.

Conclusion:

Yoga is a powerful tool that can help you become more balanced and relaxed as you go through life’s usual ups and downs. Regular yoga practice can help you discover more about your mind and you will feel more calm and energetic, but you won’t instantly feel the effects of yoga. Yoga should be your daily routine to manage stress. Give yourself 40-60 minutes daily, you will notice a remarkable change in your life.

“Start Doing Yoga Every Day And Be The Best Version Of You.”

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