Yoga for Anxiety Relieve
We go through moments in life that make us worried, stressed and very anxious, so anxious that our thought patterns are distorted or we become immobile and don’t want to take action.
Some people self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, or even overeat unhealthy food which may lead to other addictive behaviors. Even though these methods may work temporarily, they are only numbing feelings and not relieving the underlying problems. What's needed is a regular, daily health routine for the long term.
How To Get Rid Of Anxiety With Yoga?
There are so many facets of anxiety and so much that can help relieve symptoms such as talk therapy, art, working out, good nutrition and, of course, yoga.
How Yoga Helps Treat Anxiety?
One of the benefits of yoga is creating a balance within oneself. There are yoga poses that benefit many things that trouble individuals and one area with which yoga can be particularly helpful is anxiety. By turning one’s focus in to their breath and their body’s movement, these 10 yoga poses can to relieve anxiety.
Best Yoga Poses To Relieve Anxiety Fast
Here are ten yoga poses that you can practice daily to slow your racing mind. Try to spend at least 3-5 minutes in each posture to gain the maximum benefit. Yoga alone is not a cure-all for anxiety, but enjoying these movements are an important part of self-care and nurturing for your body and mind.
1.Child’s Pose
Benefits:
This pose helps to release neck, shoulder, and upper back strain. Additionally, it can help to calm the nervous system through steady, conscious breathing.
How to Do It:
- Kneel on the floor and sit on your heels.
- Allow yourself to bend forward and relax into the stretch.
- You can either rest your chest on your thighs or you can spread your knees out to the sides, keeping your feet together, and lower your torso towards the ground.
- Your arms can either be stretched out in front of you or reaching back towards your feet.
2.Corpse Pose
Benefits:
Allows practitioners to relax by helping to slow breathing and, in turn, decreasing blood pressure.
How to Do It:
- Begin by lying flat on your back.
- If needed, you can modify this pose to bolster certain body parts to alleviate stress, such as a folded blanket under your head, a bolster under your knees, etc.
- Put your arms and legs out at about a 45-degree angle, hands palms up and allow the feet to relax to the sides.
- Gently roll your head from side to side to relax your spine, straightening your back to make sure it is properly aligned. Relax into the pose and focus on your breath.
3. Extended Puppy Pose
Benefits:
This pose calms your mind and lengthens the spine, releasing tension in the back.
How to Do It:
- Being on your hands and knees in a neutral tabletop position with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders.
- Keeping your legs as they are, slowly walk your hands forward, stretching out your spine until your chest is about an inch or so away from the floor.
- Breathe into your spine and lengthen out your back.
- To get out of it, simply walk your hands back towards a neutral tabletop position.
4. Half Lord of the Fishes
Benefits:
As with all twists, this pose helps to calm the nervous system, quiet the mind, and increase spinal flexibility to release tension.
How to Do It:
- Begin by sitting on the floor with both legs extended in front of you.
- Keeping your right leg straight, bend your left knee and pull your foot in towards you.
- Wrap your right arm around your bent knee and put your left hand on the floor behind you, creating a spinal twist.
- Turn your gaze out over your left shoulder but be careful not to twist too hard and further injure your back.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
5.Half Pigeon
Benefits:
A lot of emotional stress can be held in the hips. By performing a hip opener like this pose, you can help to release some of that stress and, in confronting those emotions, alleviate stress.
How to Do It:
- Start on your hands and knees in a neutral position.
- Bring one of your legs forward and put your shin parallel to the front edge of your mat and flex your foot.
- If that isn’t possible, bring your knee forward but let your leg stay at an angle—but point your toes instead of flexing your foot.
- Stretch your back leg out behind you, extending your toes towards the back of your mat.
- You can use your fingers on the mat in front of you for support and sit up straight, opening your chest.
5.Legs Up the Wall
Benefits:
This pose can relieve a lot of tension in the hips, a great source of lower back pain.
How to Do It:
- Set up a folded blanket beside the wall.
- Lay on your left side with your hip on the edge of the blanket, as if you are sitting on the wall.
- Kick your legs up and lay on your back with your legs straight up the wall and the blanket beneath your hips.
- Relax into this restorative pose and if you can, stay here for at least five minutes.
- To get out of it, bend your knees to your chest and roll on to your side.
6. Seated Forward Bend
Benefits:
This pose calms the mind, reduces headaches, and can lower blood pressure.
How to Do It:
- Begin by sitting up straight with your legs stretched out in front of you, keeping your spine straight and your feet flexed, keeping your legs engaged.
- When you exhale, lean forward, hooking your fingers around your big toes if you can reach.
- With each breath, continue to deepen your stretch and find more space between each vertebrae.
7. Warrior 3
Benefits:
Much like tree pose, this pose can increase self-confidence through physical balance which in turn can cause a boost in mental and emotional balance.
How to Do It:
- Begin by standing on your mat in mountain pose, feet together.
- Exhale and fold forward. Step your left leg back so that you are in a lunge with your right knee at a 90-degree angle.
- Stretch your arms out in front of you, parallel to each other.
- When you are ready, begin to straighten your right leg and lift your left leg behind you, balancing on your right foot, essentially forming your body into a capital “T.” Repeat on the other side.
8. Standing Forward Bend
Benefits:
This is a very beneficial pose that can be used at any time, as no mat is required. Do it at the office, while shopping, before anything that creates anxiety. It gives you energy and releases tension.
How to Do It:
- Stand with your feet either together or hip-distance apart.
- Keep an elongated spine as you raise your arms overhead and then hinge from your hips as you fold forward reaching down toward your toes.
- You may just let everything go and hang like a rag doll or hold opposite elbows with opposite hands.
- Feel the heaviness release from your shoulders, upper back, and head (the places that we tend to keep most of our tension).
- Close your eyes and take deep breaths, letting go of any thoughts, and hold for as long as you like.
9. Cat/Cow Pose
Benefits:
This is such a relaxing and releasing combination of postures if done properly. Keep your eyes closed to focus on connecting each movement to your breath.
How to Do It:
- Come onto all fours with your hands below shoulders and your knees below your hip bones, keeping your back straight in a neutral position.
- Inhale, lower your belly, draw your shoulder blades together and peel open your chest, lifting your gaze to find Cow Pose. Exhale, press against your palms, round into your back body as you draw your shoulder blades apart from each other, gazing toward your navel to find Cat Pose. Continue these movements following your breath.
- Feel the arching movement up and down throughout your back while inhaling and exhaling with the rhythm of the movement.
- Move slowly to feel the movement of each vertebra of your spine.
10. Standing Forward Bend
Benefits:
This pose is considered to be the easiest to do physically, but the most difficult for the mind and spirit to master.
How to Do It:
- Lie down on your mat with your arms by your side, palms up, legs relaxed, with feet turning toward the sides of your mat.
- You may use a pillow under your knees to support your lower back if you feel tension there.
- Close your eyes, release any tension in your face.
- Practice deep breathing in and out until you feel very relaxed.
Yoga Tips:
- The best way to determine if you are relaxed and not holding tension is to tighten or clench your entire body, hold for a moment, and then release.
- Clear your mind; and if any disruptive thought enters, remind yourself that this is not the time to think about it. You will return to it later.
Hopefully, these poses will become second nature to you and you can turn to them when needed. You can practice at home or anywhere else that has physical and emotional space for you to practice yoga.
