5 Yoga poses for relaxation and stress relief
Every day I make a little time to turn inward, be with myself, relax and connect. It makes 'me' feel like ME again. It makes me able to rejuvinate. It helps me to be more patient, loving & giving, and it develops what I like to call my inner glow; you know, that warm, happy feeling you get inside when you are relaxed and all is well :-)
Try these 5 yoga poses and feel the inner glow!
Just 5-10 minutes a day can make all the difference to your stress levels!
ONE - Childs pose - Balasana
This is a fantastic pose for cooling the body. If you feel hot and bothered, angry, out of breath or stressed this is a great pose for calming down and cooling down! Close your eyes, empty your mind and take at least 10 deep breaths in this pose.
TWO - Bridge pose - Setu Bandhasana
This pose calms the brain and central nervous system so it's great for stress. It also improves digestion and reduces fatigue. Breathe deeply, keep your feet hip width apart and parallel, close your eyes and enjoy the feeling.
THREE - Corpse pose - Savasana
This is the king of all poses and I LOVE it! Allow your body to melt into the floor (palms up and legs flopping outwards) With every exhalation of the breath, release any physical stress you are carrying. Surrender the mind, allow the body to fall away and relax! Utter bliss people! Even 10 minutes a day in Savasana will make a difference to your day. Do it!
FOUR - Headstand - Sirsasana
By performing the headstand you will send fresh oxygenated blood to the brain and flush many toxins away. This will make you feel refreshed and can alleviate stress headaches. The reversal of prana (life force) will encourage you to change old patterns too, so whilst in this pose perhaps think about any old bad habits you want to replace with good new ones! This posture will also calm and sooth your mind, body and spirit. FOR ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS ONLY! Contact me for a 121 if you want to learn how to do this pose.
FIVE - Legs-Up-The-Wall (or in this case 'tree') pose - Viparita Karani
If Savasana above is the king then this has to be the queen of relaxation poses and I can't recommend it enough! This is a super-duper semi-inverted all rounder pose. Just 10 minutes a day in this pose can have so many positive effects on the body including mind calming, relief of mild back ache and another opportunity to connect with the breath! So if you are feeling overwhelmed by life then take some time out and strike this pose as Madonna would say. The blood and prana (energy or life force) flows in the opposite direction to normal in this semi-inverted pose, and flushes the organs with fresh new oxygenated blood and life force; any toxins are flushed away leaving you feeling wonderful. It helped to get rid of my varicose veins too - yippee!
