5 Yoga Poses to De-stress
Want to join me for this yoga flow?
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the YouTube link. I’ll see you there! ツ
For my first blog post, we are going go more in depth over the poses from my newest yoga video: 15 Minute Yoga Flow / 5 Poses to De-stress. We are going to identify each pose, talk about some of their benefits, and how they can play a role in helping us de-stress.
1. Our first pose in this flow is Butterfly Pose or Baddha Konasana. This pose is great for relaxing and grounding. You can use it to relieve tightness in the hips and lower back as well as help with posture. But my favorite benefit of this pose is its ability to help decrease stress.
Butterfly Pose activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which is just another way of saying it activates the rest & digest system. This happens because it increases the blood circulation to the pelvic floor. While in this state of rest & digest the body tends to lower the heart rate. This causes the body to feel more relaxed. Making this pose an excellent choice for finding stress relief!
2. Next we have Cat-Cow or Bitilasana Marjaryasana. This is a pose that can help bring more flexibility to the spine and relieve stress in the lower back. These effects on the spine can help in keeping it mobile and strong. Now when it comes to relaxing, Cat-Cow really shines when the spinal movements are paired with breath. For example, you inhale on cow then exhale as you come into cat. This combination and repetition of movement with breath has a way of calming the mind.
Some of this calming effect may be from this pose stimulating the kidneys and adrenal glands. The adrenal glands play a big part in our body’s fight or flight response so this pose helps them by bringing the body into a more relaxed state.
3. Thirdly, we have Downward Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana. It stretches the hamstrings and calf muscles. It also acts as a partial inversion because it brings your heart above your head. It is this that we are going to focus on because inversions can help relieve stress and improve mood. They increase blood flow to the heart and brain, which can increase the amount of endorphins in your blood.
So Downward Dog not only fights stress by being somewhat of an inversion but because it also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. In this pose, it is because your heart being above your head stimulates an essential part of the parasympathetic nervous system - your vagus nerve. This nerve helps you to come back to a state of calm when stress has passed.
4. Fourthly, is Baby Cobra or Ardha Bhujangasana. This pose opens the heart space and strengthens the spine. It can help relieve lower back pain and calm the nervous system. Just like the poses before, Baby Cobra stimulates the rest & digest system to create a feeling of calm. But for this pose we are going to look at its ability to deepen breath.
Baby Cobra does this by opening the chest and front side of the body. And what’s great about this is when you deepen your breath your brain sends a signal to your body to relax. Making Cobra a good pose to try when looking to find a more relaxed state.
5. Lastly, my favorite pose: Child’s Pose or Balasana. It releases tension in the shoulders, chest, hamstrings, and lower back. This helps to alleviate stiffness in the body. It also lowers the heart rate, stimulates the digestive system, and can have a calming effect on the mind. The resting of the forehead on the mat can actually signal to your brain that it is safe to relax. How cool is that?
I find that this pose even further promotes relaxation by encouraging one to draw your energy in. It allows you to focus on your breath and bring your awareness inward. This pose helps with stress by calming the mind and nervous system.
These 5 poses have the capability of reducing stress and finding more relaxation. I hope this post reminds you to take time out to nurture yourself and encourages you to find ways you can give into relaxation. Because you are worthy of rest! ᯓ★