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Do These 7 Relaxing Yoga Poses to Reduce Stress + Anxiety

With most of us on a roller coaster of emotions right now, it’s worth taking a step back to find some zen in your life. Ready to stress less? Here are our favorite relaxing yoga poses for stress and anxiety.
 

 
 

7 Relaxing Yoga Poses for Stress and Anxiety

Not only is yoga an excellent workout . . . yoga relieves stress and cultivates peace of mind.

Here are a few basic yoga poses to help you get off the couch, turn off the political updates, and channel your thoughts and emotions into a more positive space.
 

1. Boat Pose

From a seated position, slowly lift your legs into a V shape. Depending on the level of intensity you’re looking for, you can either keep the knees bent or extend your legs straight. Hold the position for 5-10 breaths. Repeat the pose until you complete 4 to 5 sets.

This pose not only strengthens your abdominal wall, but also your hip flexors. Use deep conscious breathing to connect mind and body and empower you in this pose.
 
boat pose
 
How it helps: Boat Pose is challenging and requires your full focus. It’s also strengthening, so you’ll find and feel your power during and after you practice it. Boat Pose reminds us of our inner strength and resilience – a great way to combat the post-election stress and uncertainty and the reason it’s first on our list of relaxing yoga poses for stress.
 

2. Crescent Moon Pose

Stand straight and extend your arms overhead, interlacing your fingers and releasing the index fingers. Bring your feet together, heels and toes touching with your weight in your heels.

With an inhale, extend your spine and on an exhale, hinge over to the right side, keeping shoulders stacked above hips. Keep your feet grounded and your glutes and legs engaged. Stay here for 5 breaths, then repeat on side two.
 
ashotn-cresent-moon-pose
 
How it helps: Crescent Moon Pose opens your side body and improves core strength, balance and concentration. Of the relaxing yoga poses for stress and anxiety, this pose helps you feel incredibly expansive. It’s a physically lengthening and strengthening, and practicing it will help you gain strength, resilience and a more open mind.

Relax and Restore 38-Minute Gentle Yoga Flow (Free Class)
 

3. Seated Twist

Start seated with your legs crossed in Easy Seated Pose. Plant your left palm behind your back and bring your right hand to your left knee. On an inhale, sit up tall, and on an exhale, begin to twist from the base of the spine.

Of the relaxing yoga poses for stress, this one can be intense. So breathe deeply into this yoga pose for 30-60 seconds before switching sides. Seated Twists detoxify and rehydrate the spinal column. They help release tension in the back and neck and counteract the sitting we do each day.
 
feel-good-yoga-sequence_seated-twists
 
How it helps: Twists are detoxifying for the body, and will help move any stale, stagnant, or negative energy through you and out of you. Twists are also a great way to gain a different perspective, because when we shift the focus, we shift our entire mind-state.
 

4. Seated Forward Fold

Sitting on the floor with your legs extended in front of you, activate your leg muscles by pressing the backs of your legs into the floor. Flex your toes towards your face to keep the legs engaged.

If you have tight hamstrings, consider putting a bolster or blanket underneath your tailbone. You can check your alignment by practicing the pose with your back against a wall. Hold this pose for about a minute, breathing deeply.
 
Supported-Seated-Forward-Fold
 
How it helps: In Sanskrit, this seated forward fold is called Paschimottanasana, or the Great Western Stretch. This relaxing yoga pose for stress symbolizes letting go of the past as you stay present in the moment. It helps ground us, soften and open us, and helps us let things go.
 

 
 

5. Reverse Plank

When you finish your above pose (the Seated Forward Fold), plant your palms behind you, with your fingers pointing towards your feet. Take a deep breath and lift your hips upward while simultaneously letting your head fall back. Note that the hips should be doing the movement while the arms are only acting as support.

Breathe in and out normally for thirty seconds before slowly lowering yourself back down. Reverse Plank will increase circulation, and strengthen and tone.
 
reverse-plank
 
How it helps: While this is a relaxing yoga pose to reduce stress, it is also another strengthening pose that lets you feel your power. By letting the head drop back and the heart open skyward, it’s a gentle inversion and heart opener, so you’re getting stress relief and cultivating a sense of wellbeing simultaneously.
 
 

6. Legs Up the Wall

Ideally for Legs Up the Wall Pose, you’ll use a bolster or a thick blanket that you can place beneath your lower back. However, this isn’t necessary – you can perform this pose with or without props, and with or without a wall.

The easiest way to get into this relaxing yoga pose is to start on your side, then roll onto your back and swing the back of your legs onto the wall. If you’re using a bolster or blanket, it should support your lower back.

Your sits bones don’t need to be touching the wall, but do allow the back of your legs to rest against the wall. If you’re doing this in the middle of the room, allow your legs to stack above your hips, and they’ll be able to float with relative ease. You can stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 15 minutes.
 
legs-up-the-wall-yoga-pose
 
How it helps: Keep your palms up to receive energy or place your palms against the floor to feel grounded. Legs Up the Wall is renowned as one of the most relaxing and stress-relieving poses, and it also helps soothe anxiety and headaches.

Unwind and Destress With These 7 Relaxing Online Yoga Classes
 

7. Savasana

Of all the relaxing yoga poses for stress, this is our fave.

Savasana, also known as Corpse Pose, will be the perfect end to this relaxing yoga sequence. The most important part of Savasana is to quiet your senses. Return to normal breathing, allow your tongue to soften away from the roof of your mouth, and with your eyes closed, relax all your muscles.

You can stay in this pose anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. When you’re ready to exit the pose, gently roll over onto one side, and stay here for a few breaths. Then, gently bring yourself into a comfortable, seated position.
 
supported-savasana
 
How it helps: Of all the relaxing yoga poses to reduce stress, Savasana will help you relax your mind and your body and allow your stress to melt away. After completing this pose, you will emerge from this practice feeling calmed, at peace, and renewed.
 
 

Relaxing Yoga Poses for Stress + Anxiety

Yoga is meditation in motion, and both meditation and yoga are excellent, proven ways of reducing stress and anxiety, and calming mind and body. Therefore, your yoga practice can help you get through this time of uncertainty and work through stress and anxiety in a healthy way.

When all the aspects of you become more balanced, more peace of mind naturally follows. We cultivate a more positive and calm demeanor, and the things that seemed to cause aggravation and stress before seem easier to face and work through. Try to incorporate these relaxing yoga poses for stress-less and zen-more!

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Valerie Brusamarello

Valerie is on the content team for Siddhi Yoga. She enjoys finding new depths to her yoga practice, hiking in Colorado, and walking her dog, Rita. Val continues to spread her love for yoga around the world.

siddhiyoga.com

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