3 Ideal Yoga Poses To Relieve Stress
If stress and anxiety have become an integral part of your life and you feel helpless, don’t let it get the better of you. Just perform these easy to do yoga poses to break the shackles of apprehension and to reclaim your calm and inner peace.
Child’s Pose
Kneel on the floor keeping your legs folded back together and sit on your heels. Bend forward until your forehead touches the floor and your chest rests on your thighs. Curl your shoulders forward and rest your hands next to your feet with the palms facing up. Hold for five breaths, return to your starting position and repeat. This resting posture eases stress and calms the mind.
Savasana
This asana is usually done at the end of your yoga practice where you lie flat on your back with your arms resting by the side and palms up. Keeping your face relaxed and eyes closed, keep breathing deeply, gently and slowly while focussing on each part of your body, starting from your head and go on till your toes. Surrender your whole body to the floor and feel the deep relaxation in every part. However, don’t fall asleep.
This posture triggers a deep state of rest by slowing your breathing and calms the nervous system. After 15-20 minutes, roll onto your side, return to the seated position keeping your eyes closed and take a few deep breaths as you become aware of your surroundings. Now, open your eyes slowly.
Bhramari Pranayam
Sit comfortably in sukhasana keeping your spine erect. Relax your whole body while breathing normally, keeping your mouth closed and teeth apart. Close your eyes and use your thumbs to plug both ears. Take a deep breath slowly and then exhale, while making a continuous humming sound (from your throat).
Feel the vibration of this sound (that’s similar to the humming of bees) in your head. You can start with five sounds and increase it according to your convenience. This yoga posture calms the nerves and reduces stress, frustrations, anger, and anxiety.
How Stress Affects Health
Stress can contribute to a lot of health issues out of which some of them are mentioned below.
- Headache
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Sleep problems
- Stomach upset
- Loss of sex drive
- Muscle tension or body pain
If stress continues for long time, it can contribute and pave way to serious health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.