Our busy lifestyles and over-stimulation make us all experience a certain level of stress in our everyday lives. Stress can manifest in our body in many forms such as chronic fatigue, migraines, shoulder and neck tensions, mood swings, sleep issues, and more… One of our yoga teachers, Camille, shares with us her go-to poses to feel calmer and reduce stress.

From my teaching experience, it definitely appears to be one of the main reasons many people start to practice yoga. Indeed, the beauty of yoga is that mindful movement and breathwork considerably help us calm our racing minds and thus reduce anxiety. It is a practice of awareness – and the more aware we are of the ways our body reacts to stress and external distractions, the more prepared we are to effectively respond.

How does yoga help with stress relief?

When we are stressed we are overstimulating our sympathetic nervous system (also known as our “fight and flight” response), which is absolutely necessary to move us out of any perceived dangerous situations.

However, in order to feel balanced, it is equally important that we stimulate our parasympathetic nervous system (also known as our “rest and digest” response) which is involved in calming our bodies and decreasing our heart rate.

Luckily, yoga has proven to effectively activate our parasympathetic nervous system through breathwork, meditation and asana (yoga poses).

4 simple and effective yoga poses to help you relax and reduce stress

Dangling pose

A really easy and grounding pose to relieve stress and anxiety as we simply let the entire upper body soften (including the head, shoulders, and neck) and create more space for the lower back helping release compression in that area too.

How? Stand with the feet hip-width distance or a little wider, bend the knees and let yourself fold forward, resting the chest over the thighs and grabbing opposite elbows.

Childs Pose

The ultimate pose to help you shift the gaze inwards and let go of any external distraction. This pose can feel like this safe little sanctuary you can go back to whenever you are overwhelmed.

How? Knees bent (together or opening wide) chest resting over the thighs, reaching the arms forward or back towards the feet.

Legs up the wall

As an inversion, this pose reverses the blood and energy flow of the body and helps you feel relaxed and calm. If you struggle to sleep at night, this could become your go-to pose to practice just before bedtime.

How? Ideally, place a bolster or pillow against the wall (to elevate the hips and make it more comfortable) and sit on it with one of your sides against the wall. Then turn your legs to the wall as you lay down on your back. Keep a gentle bend into the knees.

Neck on block

This pose helps release tense necks and headaches. Massaging the back of the neck actually stimulates the Vagus nerve - it begins and is attached to the lower part of the brain and connects through our spinal cord to the rest of the body. This long nerve is constantly sensing what’s happening in the body and responds accordingly. So by physically stimulating this nerve and breathing slowly in stillness, it will let your brain know that it’s ok to relax.

How? Lay down with a block on the middle height at the very bottom of your skull. Stay still or sway the head very gently from left to right to massage the upper back of the neck.

What classes should I join to relieve stress?

Both Yin (“passive”) and Yang (active) yoga classes can help you reduce stress and it is completely up to you to listen to your body and go for what you need on the day.

At Scout, we offer a wide range of yoga classes and would recommend you to attend either our Power Vinyasa or Slow Vinyasa classes if you are looking for relatively active practice, and attend our Yin and Restorative classes if you are looking to rest, restore, breathe and meditate. Check our timetable for more details on the days and times of these classes.

References:

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/yoga-for-stress

https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/yoga-by-benefit/stress/yoga-poses-for-stress-relief/

https://mandypatterson.com/yoga-and-the-parasympathetic-nervous-system/

https://www.doyou.com/6-benefits-of-legs-up-the-wall-pose-48440/