Yoga to Reduce Stress

While yoga in and of itself is seen as a stress reliever, it sometimes depends on the practitioner’s approach as to how much stress-relieving benefit they are receiving. Yogis who take a more aggressive approach to yoga and use it more for fitness, rushing to and from yoga class, pounding themselves through the poses and pushing themselves to their edge every time may not be receiving the anti-stress benefits inherent to yoga.

If you are in need of stress relief, try more gentle forms of yoga such as Yin or Iyengar and avoid more rigorous forms such as Baptiste, Power vinyasa or even Ashtanga. Poses that tend to increase happiness and reduce anxiety are heart-opening poses, inversions (because they bring blood to the brain, nourishing the neural pathways) and hip-openers help release anxiety and buried emotions (don’t be surprised if you cry at the end, as crying is another form of release!)

Try the following sequence to lift your mood and reduce anxiety, followed by a lengthy savasana or meditation with pranayama (deep-breathing). Maintain each pose for 5-10 breaths, working on relaxing into the pose, not fighting your body or your mind.

Sequence:

Tadasana (Mountain)
Take a moment here in Mountain pose to ground yourself. Come to the breath, become present in the moment and tune into your body. Taking a moment before starting to centre yourself is extremely important in your ability to use yoga as stress relief.

Virabhadrasana I (Warrior 1)
Square the hips to the front, bending into the front knee while reaching the arms to the sky.

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2)
Open the hips to the side while bringing the arms straight out to the side.

Trikonasana (Triangle)
Straighten your front leg, reach out over the front foot and drop the hand toward the ground, reaching the other hand overhead.

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon)
Place your hand to the ground (or a block) and stack the hips on top of each other. Press the back foot behind you and possibly reach your upper hand to the sky.

Virabhadrasana III (Warrior 3)
Balancing on one foot, keep the hips square to the ground as you reach forward.

Garudasana (Eagle)
Wrap your right leg around the left and the left arm under the right and balance. Keep the elbows up and maintain focus and breathe. Repeat this sequence on the opposite side (starting from warrior 1).

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
Allow your hands to hang forward, letting the head and neck go, relaxing the knees slightly.

Anjaneyasana (Crescent Lunge)
Take a deep lunge, bending into the front knee, lifting the back heel from the ground. Shine your heart forward, reaching hands to the sky.

Bhujangasana (Cobra)
Lift the heart to the sky as much as possible, keeping the arms slightly bent, drawing the shoulders down.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon)
Attempt to bring the front leg to a 90 degree angle while sitting comfortably (may need a block under the hip). You can also rest your elbows to the ground and your head to your hands. Alternate to the other side.

Ustrasana (Camel)
There are two versions of this pose: you can support the low back with the hands and press the hips forward and chest up, dropping the head back. Or you can do the same while grabbing for your heels (as shown here).

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle)
Draw the feet together, pressing knees to the ground and holding the feet like a book.

Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
Reach the feet to the sky. Inversions bring blood from the body to the brain, nourishing neural pathways and increasing mental health and happiness.

Halasana (Plow)
Drop your feet behind your head. This massages the thyroid while continuing to bring blood to your brain.

Matsyasana (Fish)
Prop yourself up on your elbows, letting your head fall back and shining your heart to the sky.

Savasana (Corpse)
Give yourself a good 5 to 10 minutes to just lay gently and breathe. Acknowledge stray thoughts and then let them go.

Practicing yoga in the right environment can also have a great impact on your ability to de-stress. Try to practice in a space that you find relaxing.