8 Yoga Poses For Stress Relief

When it comes to stress, it affects us all. If stress doesn’t affect you, well I don’t know anyone like that... Our lives are fast paced, we work hard, we are high in demand, we get it all done and to the best of our abilities.

Our hectic lifestyle can make it hard for us to find time to be present, to be slow, at ease, and can make it next to impossible to just "enjoy the moment". Yet, yoga can help us find peace of mind, and help us leave our worries behind, making yoga excellent for stress relief.

"It gives you a sense of accomplishment, you are investing in yourself. Nothing feels better than taking time out of your day to do something good for your body and mind"

Yoga to reduce stress

Before we talk about the best yoga poses for stress relief, let’s talk about some other ways yoga can help you deal with stress:

Yoga helps you breathe better

Long, deep breaths will help you get more oxygen to the brain and signal to the body that it is safe to slow down and relax. Deep belly breathing will massage the organs, aid digestion, and of course, reduce anxiety and stress.

It presents you with challenges to keep you invested and engaged

Sometimes all you need to do is step away from the things that are stressing you out, even if it’s just for an hour.

Yoga will help you start your day off right, keeping stress at bay. Alternately, yoga can help you clear your mind, prepare for the evening, and help you sleep better. There is no wrong way or time to practice yoga.

Yoga gives you endorphins

All exercise increases endorphins (Endorphins are Neurochemicals released by the body). Endorphins make you feel happy, and no doubt, with the added benefits of meditation and being in a group setting, sharing your experience with others will give you an added boost. Yoga can help you leave class feeling happier and less stressed out than when you came in.

The best poses for stress relief

Now that we know just some of the things yoga as a practice can do for us and how it can help us reduce stress, let's talk about 8 yoga poses that are especially good for stress relief:

Try these poses at home. No special equipment is required, a few pillows, a mat, towel and a blanket will help you deepen the experience.

If you don't have time to do all 8 of them, choose at least one and try to stay in that position for 5 minutes.

Child’s pose (Balasana)

Child’s pose or Balasana is a soothing and comforting pose. We are supported by the mat, able to step away from the world for a moment, the lower body is in anatomical flexion making this a great pose for rest and relaxation.

Child’s pose is a turning inward pose, great for reflection, and introspection, and of course, for stress relief. If you want to hold this pose a little longer, try supported child’s pose, and use blankets, towels, or bolsters if you have access to them to make this posture more comfortable.

Puppy pose (Uttana Shishosana)

Often referred to as “melting heart pose”, Puppy pose or Uttana Shishosana, is a beautiful combination of child’s pose with a heart opening. Puppy pose is a mild backbend (anatomically speaking, as the spine is in a mild extension)

We allow the chest to fall between the arms, allowing the heart to melt down towards the mat, hence its name “melting heart pose”.

This posture is unique, rarely do we find backbends that are also rest poses. Facing towards the mat gives us that some opportunity for introspection and the safety that child’s pose offers.

Puppy pose is great for stress relief as it can open up and relieve some of the tightness in the chest and encourages us to breathe a little deeper. Placing a pillow underneath the hands will elevate the arms slightly and deepen the shoulder opening experienced in this pose. Consider playing and experimenting with the props you use.

Legs up the wall pose (Viparita Karani)

Legs up the wall pose is excellent for relaxation, improving blood flow, drainage, and reducing inflammation.

This posture is paired perfectly with deep belly breathing to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate down. Lowering our blood pressure will lead to a reduction in cortisol, our stress hormone.

Shallow breathing on the other hand, increases blood pressure and increases heart rate, so we can start to see the direct connection between breath and stress reduction. This posture is also great for draining stagnant blood and swelling in the feet, which we stand on all day, giving them the rest they deserve.

This posture also feels great on the hips, and the lower back. If you weren’t already convinced, it is said that 20 minutes with our legs up the wall is equivalent to 3 hours of sleep! This is because the body is so relaxed and renewed in this position.

Can’t find 20 minutes in your day to practice this posture? Try 5 minutes, or even 10. Any amount spent in this position will be worth your while.

Happy baby pose (Upavistha Konasana)

Upavistha Konasana translates to upward facing angle. We can sometimes see this posture translated as Ananda Balasana, "ananda"meaning bliss and “bala”meaning baby in Sanskrit.

Happy baby pose is great for stress relief as it opens up another area that we tend to hold additional tension in when stressed. And that is, in the hips. Holding onto the feet at a 90 degree angle helps us increase the fold of the hips, also a great moment for the lumbar spine or the lower back to release any residual tension.

If you want a little bit more from this posture, ask someone to gently but firmly press down on your feet so that the back rests closer to the mat, and the flexion of the hips is increased.

Note: it is very important that they press straight down as not to aggravate the hips or lower back by pressing forwards, or backwards. Think, press directly downwards.

Reclined bound angle pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

Reclined means to lean back or lie back in a relaxed position or state where the back is fully supported. With our back on the mat we are grounded, from there, we are safe to work towards opening the hips a bit further.

In Supta Baddha Konasana, the knees fall open like the pages of an open book, allowing for a deep stretch to happen along the inner line of the legs and the inner thighs, while working the hips open.

Deep belly breathing and allowing the palms to turn up towards the ceiling will tell the body that you are in complete surrender and ready for what is to come.

With stress relief as your goal, the last thing you want to feel here is pain, this discomfort will distract you from being able to really let go. If this is the case, or you want less opening along the inner line of the legs and hips, place a bolster, a few blocks, or blankets underneath the knees to lessen the angle. This might also allow you to stay here longer if that feels right for you.

Alternatively, if this posture feels like too much for the hips, try variations of Baddha Konasana, such as a seated variation where you can lay your torso on a pillow in front of you or even stack a few pillows for more height and less depth in the position.

Like this you will experience the same hip opening, but it can feel less vulnerable and easier on the hips for some. Remember, these postures need to feel good in your body. Make the adjustments needed to allow space for change, and your own well being and enjoyment of the practice. You cannot reduce emotional stress if the physical body is in a state of fight or flight.

Supine or reclined twist pose

(Jathara Parivrittasana, or commonly translated as Supta Matsyendrasana)

Once again we find ourselves on our backs, which gives us the grounding and support that we need, especially when working to reduce stress. Taking away any need to balance or engage our muscles will help put us in a more relaxed state.

Twisting is excellent for stress relief as we tend to carry a lot of our stress in our stomach, especially when that stress relates to our careers, work or our relationships with bosses and colleagues.

Twisting directly targets and releases the Manipura Chakra or the solar plexus charka, also helping to calm the nervous system and improve digestion, which can also get blocked up due to changes and increases of stress.

To learn more about the charka system and how to balance the chakras click here.

Corpse pose (Shavasana)

Shavasana or corpse pose, likely the most well known of all of the yoga postures is also a favourite of many. Corpse pose is the absolute epitome of letting go of everything, and despite how nice that sounds, this can make this pose very challenging.

Think about it, how often are we given permission to just let go? To not constantly be worried about where or what to do next but to be truly fixed in the present, and do nothing else. Patanjali wrote in the Yoga Sutras (1.1) he said, "yoga can only happen now. Not in the future, and not in the past, but in the now, the ever present now".

In order to remain focused and be truly mindful, to successfully reduce stress, we need to keep this in mind. We can only be right where we are. So if we are physically in Shavasana, our minds must be there too.

Easy pose or Seated (in meditation)

Our physical expression of yoga via postures is called our asana practice, which asana in Sanskrit actually translates to seat, over time we began to translate asana to pose or posture, however, historically speaking, when yoga was born approximately 5,000 years ago, there were no poses, asana simply meant seat. Yogis worked hard to practice and perfect the art of sitting to better practice mediation, the most important aspect of yoga.

This we can learn a lesson from, especially when it comes to stress relief. We need to get better at sitting, we need to master the art of doing less and doing that well. We need to learn how to say "no", learn to keep peace and space in your schedule for “me time”, finding more time in your day to practice mindfulness and mediation.

Now, I imagine that right away that word sounds scary and intense....“meditation”, but I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be so intimidating and it doesn’t have to feel daunting. It can and should really feel like no big deal. We want to focus the mind on one thing with as little distraction as possible. Contrary to popular belief, meditation is not about “thinking nothing”.

We want to work towards emptying the mind of distractions, we are not trying to empty the mind completely. Mediation is not for the spiritually elite. You do not need to have prior experience. Meditation can last as little as 2-5 minutes, to any length of time.

For the beginner, 5 minutes is a great place to start. We all have 5 minutes in our day, and if you don’t, make time. This is your health we are taking about. The Instagram scrolling can wait.

There are many types of meditation that can be helpful and can be used as a tool to reduce stress. Here’s a quick and easy mediation for beginners to try. This is an adaptation of a self-guided healing mediation practice.

TIP: Start by creating the best possible space for yourself. Leave the room if its too noisy, adjust the light or your posture if needed. Meditation is executed best when seated upright with a straight spine as the spine acts like an antenna for giving and receiving energy. Although, modifications can be taken, the most important thing is for you to be relaxed, at ease, comfortable, and still.

Stress relief meditation, step by step:

Find your most comfortable position, and lie completely still.

Use any props, blankets, rolled up towels, or bolsters to help you feel at ease. If playing some relaxing music or using essential oils or incense will help you relax, feel free to incorporate any or all of them!

Start by envisioning a blue light around your toes, feet, and ankles, allow the blue light to soften those areas.

See this in your mind, as if the pain and stress could melt away.

Using visuals to induce relaxation like imagining your body is melting like wax or wet sand can help keep your mind focused. Create descriptive pictures in your mind that work for you.

Proceed to move up the body, allow the blue light to move into the calves, shins, and knees, then to the thighs, backs of the legs, and the seat.

The blue light moves up into the lower back, and the belly, up into the middle back, then the solar plexus, chest, and heart.

Then to the shoulders, out through the arms, wrists, and fingers.

Then send the blue light into the neck, jaw, face, and finally, let the blue light leave the body.

See the blue light turn white and watch it rise up and up through the clouds until you can no longer see it.

Take a moment to feel your body, free of stress, pain and tension.

Work to carry this feeling with you throughout your day or for as long as you can.

If you would like more information on mediation and guided meditation for beginners click here.

Final thoughts

When you find yourself feeling stressed out, you are never alone, we all battle with stress. However, remember that you are never stuck, you always have the option to do less, no matter how important the “hustle” is.

Start by deepening your breath, any time you feel your breath getting shallow, challenge yourself to turn the situation around.

Do a daily body scan. Check in and ask yourself where you are feeling tension. Breath into the places you feel are most tight and see if you can relax those areas.

Try to meditate for 5-10 minutes a day, start there.

If all else fails, speak to a trusted friend or family member about your stress or seek the help of a professional, wellness or mindfulness coach to help you manage your symptoms.

The bottom line: you are in control, only you can change yourself for the better, and being stressed out, overwhelmed or “bitting off more than you can chew” is not cool. Self care and listening to your body is so in right now. Never let that go out of style.

Last but surely not least, a big and special thanks to Andara Moeis for her beautiful demonstrations of the yoga poses seen above.

Andara is a certified and skilled yoga, barre, dance, and reformer pilates teacher. To follow her and find her schedule locally (Amsterdam) and currently online, click here.

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Jasmine Melrose

Director & Founder of DECO the Blog

Jasmine Melrose is a Toronto native living in Amsterdam. Once a professional dancer, her passions include movement, fitness, yoga, healing, and all things vegan. Jasmine is a 500-hour trained yoga teacher, who loves to get you deeper into your practice. She is also a certified barre teacher who loves making raw vegan, guilt-free and good-for-you treats. Check out her recipes and articles on everything from fitness to yoga, to notes on a journey towards healing.

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