''Top 15 Yoga Poses for relieve Stress & Anxiety''

A regular practice of yoga can offers all kinds of mental and physical health benefits. Some, like strong and flexible body, are clearly evident. Others, including mental clarity and stress reduction, Weight loss, a , glowing beautiful skin, peaceful mind, good health – whatever you may be looking for, yoga has it on offer. However, very often, yoga is only partially
 understood as being limited to asanas (yoga poses).
couples yoga

As such, its benefits are only perceived to be at the body level and we fail to realize the immense benefits yoga offers in uniting the body, mind and breath. When you are in harmony, the journey through life is calmer, happier and more fulfilling. 





1.Sukhasana (Easy Pose)

sukhasana

Easy Pose has some great benefits in addition to promoting groundedness and inner calm, such as: opens your hips, lengthens your spine, amplifies the state of serenity, tranquility, and eliminates anxiety, relieves physical and mental exhaustion and tiredness. Focus on your breath in this pose and sit still with a straight spine for at least 60 seconds.


2.Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal) 
                                                                                                 
anjali mudra

Practicing Anjali Mudra is an excellent way to induce a meditative state of awareness. Most of the time we perform it with our hands in the center of our heart chakra. This represents the balance and harmony between the right and left side reunited on our center. This balance can be not only physical but also mental and emotional, and the idea is to bring us to the center to prepare ourselves for meditation and contemplation. Start this sequence by practicing this mudra while seated in a comfortable cross-legged position with your eyes closed.

3.Marjaryasana (Cat Pose)

marjaryasana

This pose provides a gentle massage to the spine and belly organs while acting as a powerful stress buster. This pose is often paired with Cow Pose on the inhale for a gentle, flowing vinyasa. Marjaryasana also benefits overall health by stimulating the digestive tract and spinal fluid. For proper alignment place wrists directly under the shoulders and knees under the hips.



4.Bitilasana (Cow Pose)

batilasana

Cow Pose is an easy, gentle way to warm up the spine. This pose is often paired with Cat Pose on the exhale for a gentle, flowing vinyasa. In addition to relieving stress and calming the mind, this pose also: massages and stimulates organs in the belly, like the kidneys and adrenal glands, and creates emotional balance. For proper alignment place wrists directly under the shoulders and knees under the hips.



5.Uttana Shishosana (Extended Puppy Pose)

uttana shishosana
This pose is a cross between Child’s Pose and Downward Facing Dog. It lengthens the spine and calms the mind and invigorates the body. This pose also relieves symptoms of chronic stress, tension, and insomnia.


6.Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

paschimottanasana

Paschimottanasana can help a distracted mind unwind. Seated Forward Bend is a basic yet challenging pose with several benefits in addition to relieving stress and anxiety. Additional benefits include: stretches the hamstrings, spine, and lower back, improves digestion, relieves symptoms of PMS and menopause, reduces fatigue, stimulates the liver, kidneys, ovaries, and uterus. Keep the feet flexed and lower your forehead toward your knees.



7. Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-Knee Forward Bend)

janu sirsasana

A forward bend for all levels of students, Janu Sirsasana is also a spinal twist. This pose calms the brain and helps relieve mild depression anxiety, fatigue, headache, menstrual discomfort and insomnia. You can do this pose with both arms reaching for the extended foot, or by rotating your torso sideways and extending the outer arm over your head.

8.Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand)

salamba sirsasana
Standing on your head in proper alignment calms the brain and strengthens the body. Headstand can help ease anxiety by reversing the blood flow and forcing you to focus on the breath and the body in the present moment. This pose also gives the heart a rest by saving it from pumping blood back up from your lower body, as it has to do when you are standing.

This pose can be practiced against a wall if you are a beginner. Make sure the weight is resting on your forearms and shoulders rather than your head and neck. Proper alignment in this pose would allow a piece of paper to slip through your head and the mat.


9.Balasana (Child’s Pose)

balasana
Child’s Pose is a perfect counterbalance pose to supported headstand. Try sitting on the knees and bending forward with arms forward or by your side. Resting your forehead on the ground in this pose will help to relieve additional anxiety. It is a restful pose that can be sequenced between more challenging asanas. This pose can also be done with arms along side the body rather than over the head. Do what feels best to you.



10.Savasana (Corpse Pose)

savasana

Savasana is a pose of total relaxation, making it one of the most challenging asanas. Shavasana gives the nervous system a chance to integrate that in what can be thought of as a brief pause before it is forced once again to deal with all the usual stresses of daily life. Lie on your back with your eyes closed, arms by your sides and palms facing up. Allow your ankles to fall outward. Allow your body to melt deeper into the mat with each breath. Stay in this pose for a minimum of 5 minutes.

11.Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

bridge pose

Not to be confused with the full wheel, the bridge pose provides gentle stretching of the back and legs while alleviating stress and tension. The pose can reduce anxiety, fatigue, backaches, headaches and insomnia, and is even thought to be therapeutic for high blood pressure. Eva Norlyk Smith, Ph.D., yoga teacher and Managing Editor at YogaUOnline, recommends a supported bridge pose with a block underneath the sacrum as a gentler and more de-stressing way to enjoy the stretch.

12.Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

garudasana
Often used as a transition between poses, uttanasana has many benefits when practiced as a pose in itself. The posture stretches the hamstrings, thighs, hips, and is thought to relieve stress, fatigue and mild depression. If your goal is to de-stress in the pose, it's best done with the knees slightly bent, Kennedy says. 
"It's great for the legs and a lot of different physical things, and it also allows us to calm the mind. You're reversing the blood flow and just hanging out," she says.


13.Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

garudasana
The active and empowering eagle pose can help ward off stress by improving concentration and balance, and also by opening up the shoulders, upper back and hips. 
"Eagle is an empowerment pose because it releases tension in the shoulders, legs and back, and it does require focus for you to remain balanced in it," says Kennedy. "You're literally squeezing the tension out of the body. It's a very active de-stress move"

14.Extended Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana)

utthia trkonasana

One of the foundational postures, the triangle pose is an excellent stress-reliever and full-body stretch, according to Yoga Journal. It can also help to improve digestion, and potentially mitigate the symptoms of conditions like anxiety, osteoporosis and sciata.
recommends the resting legs up the wall pose for stress reduction. The pose is traditionally thought to slow the aging process. 

"It helps renew blood and lymph drainage back into the heart area," she says.

15.Dolphin Pose

dolphin pose
Similar to the downward-facing dog position, except with the forearms on the floor, his standing inversion pose can help to quiet the mind, alleviate stress and reduce anxiety, according to Yoga Journal. The posture stretches the shoulders, neck and spine.



via-huffingtonpost,care2


Ben Woods
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