5 Yoga Poses to Reduce Stress and Tension

By: Guest Author

Published: July 12, 2018

Contributed by Bipin Baloni- Guest Contributor

Stress is the root cause of various health issues and can be reduced with a regular yoga practice. Explore the blog to find the amazing and effective yoga poses to reduce stress and tension.

Maintaining a regular yoga practice can be a great way to restore the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. Our body tends to hold stress in different zones. Yoga practice helps us slow down for a moment, tunes us with the breath, and releases stress from these zones.  It is a great way to relieve tension which is the root cause of various ailments.

Each asana has a different part to play in the whole process. Some yoga poses are great for relaxation and some release tension and promote restfulness.  Some poses are restorative and help to calm our mind and body while others are empowering poses that while keeping the mind calm also energize the body. But these asanas put together in a sequence form a powerful series.

Here are five amazing yoga poses sequence to relieve stress and feel light:

Balasana (Child Pose)

Balasana is a resting pose and helps with the stretching of the hips and lengthening the spine. This pose releases tension from the back area, calms the mind, soothes the adrenals, and release the stress stored in the hips.

• Sit down on your knees on the floor with an erect spine and place your hands on the thighs.
• Now spread your knees slightly and at the same time, pull your torso down and sit on the hips.
• Let your hips rest on the heels and then slide your arms forward and bend your torso.
• Make sure your forehead touches the floor and the abdomen rests in between the knees.
• Your arms should be stretched outward above your head with palms touching the floor.
• You can also let them rest beside the body with hands near the feet and palms facing upwards.
• Relax and breathe slowly and hold the pose for a minute.

Viparita Karani Asana (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose)

The pose is great in many ways. It promotes full body relaxation, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and reduces tension and anxiety.

• Lie straight on your back on the floor next to a wall and keep your hands beside the body.
• Now take a deep breath and as you exhale, lift your legs upwards folding from the hips.
• Then place them against the wall and let your hips touch the wall.
• For support, you can place your hands under the back or use blankets or bolsters for the same.
• Now relax and keep breathing gently. Hold the pose for a minute.

Garudasana (Eagle Pose)

The pose requires a mind to focus and concentrate on one point and is one of the best tools for managing stress. It also loosens up the tight shoulders and hips and dissipates the tension.

• Stand in Tadasana pose and move your feet hip-width apart.
• Now slightly bend your right knee and put your left leg over the right and warp the calf of the right leg around the shin of the left.
• And let the upper area of the left foot rest on the right calf.
• Now stretch your arms forward, parallel to the floor, and then fold them upwards from the elbows.
• Keep your elbows and knees parallel to each other and then wrap the left arm around the right forearm and make sure the fingers of the left hands rest on the right palm.
• Fix your gaze forward and keep your spine erect. Hold the pose for 30 seconds. Release and repeat the same by interchanging the positions.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

The pose is great for balancing the nervous system, resting the busy mind, keeps you calm, peaceful, balances the sacral chakra, and helps to stabilize the fluctuating emotional energy.

• Stand in a Tadasana pose and then breathe in and raise your hands upward above your head.
• Hold the pose for 20 seconds and then as you exhale, hinge your torso forward folding from the hips.
• Place your hands in front of you with palms touching the feet or hold your elbows with opposite hands.
• Now shift the body weight on the feet and breathe gently. Hold the pose for 30 seconds.

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)

The yoga pose is again a relaxing one that helps reduce stress and releases tension. The pose opens the groin, thighs, and hips area, where we all hold stress and tension.

• Lie down on the floor in Savasana pose. Fold your knees outward and join the soles of your feet.
• Use blocks, folded blankets, or bolsters and place underneath your knees for support.
• You can place your arms beside the body or can take them up overhead, or can also let one hand rest on the stomach and other on the chest.
• Be in the pose for a few minutes. Reinforce positivity.

No amount of chemicals can reduce stress or let you have a majestic experience that a yoga practice can provide. With a regular practice of yoga, pranayama, and meditation you can achieve sanity and inner-tranquillity.  

Author Bio: Bipin Baloni is a Yoga Teacher and a Traveller in India. He provides Yoga Teacher Training in India. He loves writing and reading the books related to yoga, health, nature and the Himalayas.

Website: https://www.rishikulyogshala.org/

 

The views expressed herein this article, written by a guest contributor, do not necessarily represent those of the Red Hot Mamas organization. The content is for informational purposes and should not substitute the advice of your doctor.