6 yoga poses for stress relief

Everyone has go-to ways to ease stress. For some people, it may be traveling, cooking, being out in nature, reading a book, or simply doing nothing at all for an afternoon. While these activities may all help, depending on the person, one of the best ways is yoga poses for stress relief.

Doing yoga is a practice that doesn’t require much in terms of equipment; just a quiet space is enough. That’s why it is an ideal tool to calm yourself since you do not have to think too much about how to prepare for it. No need for a gym membership either since you can do it inside your house.

But if you are a beginner, you could need a yoga instructor to help you with the poses and your safety. Ensure that the yoga teacher took training in a yoga teacher training in Bali or a different place and have a genuine yoga certificate.

So, if you want to see for yourself if yoga can alleviate stress, start with these simple 6 poses:

Legs against the wall pose

Find an open wall space. On exhale, gently lie down on your back and pivot yourself so that the backs of your legs are pressing against the wall, with the bottoms of your feet facing up.

You may need to wiggle around to find your way into this position. You can leave your hands on your stomach or let them lie beside your body on both sides.

Bridge pose

Begin lying comfortably on your back in the supine position. Allow the back of your head and the backs of your shoulders to rest on the ground as you start to get into the bridge pose.

Bend your knees and make sure that the feet are parallel and separated about hip-distance apart. Be careful not to put too much pressure on just one foot.

On inhale, lift your hips up high toward the ceiling and begin to walk your shoulders underneath you. Interlace your fingers and press your forearms down into the mat to get more lift in the hips.

Yoga poses for stress relief include the cat-cow stretch

Go down on the floor on all fours. Look straight ahead, inhale and extend your chin forward while also arching your spine with it.

Then slowly reverse this movement to a cat pose by lowering down your chin. Extend your spine upwards as you do so.

Child’s pose

While on your knees, lower your hips and sit back on your heels. Take a deep breath and exhale while you lower your torso forward until your forehead is low enough to rest on the mat.

Place your arms by your side with the palms facing up. This movement might be one you incorporate into your evening routine to calm an anxious mind before bedtime.

Easy pose (Sukhasana)

As the word suggests, this only is basic – but that doesn’t make it a lesser one in any way. In fact, the easy pose, or Sukhasana as it’s also known is among the most effective yoga poses for stress relief!

This one requires you to sit on the mat with your legs crossed. Cross your shins, widen your knees, and slip each foot beneath the opposite knee as you bend your knees and fold the legs in toward your torso. Straighten up your spine and place each hand on one knee. Inhale and exhale slowly.

Corpse pose

Comfortably lie on your back. Spread your legs wide enough that the knees are not touching. Both hands should be placed on your sides with the palms facing up.

Once you find the most comfortable position, stay that way for as long as you want. Close your eyes and breathe naturally.

Do you do yoga poses for stress relief?

Once you get the basics, it’ll be easier to flow from one position to the next one for a calming routine. While some people do yoga daily, others prefer 3-4 times a week. Do what feels best for you.

About today’s writer

Edward Cruz is a staff writer for VIPpromocodes.com, a website that provides the latest promotional codes, exclusive sales, and offers for all of the top stores in the U.S.