Yoga for Anxiety: 6 poses to try today

Yoga has many different benefits for the mind and body. In this post the focus is going to be on the benefits yoga has for mental health, especially anxiety.

Anxiety and chronic stress can leave a person feeling spacey and ungrounded. My favorite aspect of yoga is how it helps me feel more grounded and centered. When we can slow down and connect to our breath like we do in yoga we calm the nervous system and send the signals of safety to the brain.

This moves us from the fight or flight response to the rest and digest mode of our nervous system. Rest and digest is where we heal and repair. This is the part of our nervous system we want to be in most of the time.

Female engaging in vajrasana or thunderbolt yoga pose on exercise mat

Yoga is a really great tool to use when you’re struggling with anxiety or stress. Moving with the breath will help bring you into the present moment where you can begin to feel calmer. The better you get at staying present on the mat, the easier it is to come back to the present moment off the mat.

Yoga Poses

Here are 6 different Yoga poses you can do today to help alleviate your stress and anxiety. You can do these poses separate or one after another for a great stress banishing short yoga flow.

Cat/Cow

The dynamic movement of cat cow is perfect for grounding you, when you bring your attention to the movement syncing with your breath this brings your awareness to the present moment. The act of moving with your breath also stimulates the vagus nerve. Calming you down.

How to: begin on your mat in tabletop position. coming into hands and knees on the mat shoulders directly over wrist and hips in line with the knees. As you inhale drop your belly to the mat, bring your gaze upward as your shoulder blades drop away from the ears coming in closer together. Exhale as you round through your back pressing into your hands to bring your chin closer into your chest spreading the shoulders out wide. Repeat.

Female engaging in Bharmanasana or Tabletop yoga pose on exercise mat

Female engaging in Bitilasana or cow yoga pose on exercise mat

Female engaging in Marjaryasana or cat yoga pose on exercise mat

Childs Pose

Childs pose is a great pose to gently stretch through the hips where we tend to store tension and stress, but it’s also a great way to feel supported and grounded. It’s also another great pose to connect with the breath.

How to: begin in tabletop again, then bring your big toes together to touch and your knees as wide as the mat. Slowly begin to send your hips back to meet your heels as you stretch your arms to the top of your mat lowering your forehead down to the mat. I like to enjoy some movement here like rocking my head side to side giving my forehead a message (another place we hold tension) and stretching my arms out to the left and right sides of the mat creating space in the left and right sides of the body.

Female transitioning from Bharmanasana or tabletop yoga pose to prasarita balasana or wide childs yoga pose by bringing big toes together to touch and knees out wide to the sides of exercise mat

Female transitioning from Bharmanasana or tabletop yoga pose to prasarita balasana or wide childs yoga pose by pressing hips back to meet the heels

Female engaging in prasarita balasana or wide childs yoga pose on exercise mat

Downward Facing Dog

Downward facing dog strengthens and stretches the shoulders, another place in the body we can hold tension and stress.

How to: begin in tabletop position and tuck your toes under as you send your hips up and back pressing into all five fingers as you bring your gaze back through your feet, pressing into your heels, its ok to keep your knees bent here and if your heels don’t touch the mat. Breathing deeply here, with every exhale lower your chest closer to the mat. You’re welcome to find some movement in this pose by extending one leg at a time pressing that heal to the mat as you increase the bend in the opposite leg.

Female transitioning from Bharmanasana or Tabletop yoga pose on exercise mat to Adho Mukha Svanasana or downward facing dog by lifting knees off the mat

Female engaging in Adho Mukha Svanasana or downward facing dog yoga pose on exercise mat

Pigeon Pose

Pigeon pose stretches the glutes, hip flexors and hip rotators. The hips are a main storage house for stress and other negative emotions. Stretching a releasing the hips can help you let go of these stored emotions.

How to: begin in downward facing dog inhale as you press your right heal into the mat and lift your left heal straight up and back. Exhale and bring your left knee to your left wrist allowing your left leg to rest on the mat (keeping your knee bent will protect your knee in this pose). release your right leg keeping it extended to the back of the mat. keeping your right foot, ankle and hip in one straight line. You can stay up on your hands or elbows or feel free to lower all the way down bringing your forehead to your left knee or the mat. Hold this pose for as long as you like. Repeat on the other side.

female engaging in tri pada adho mukha svanasana or 3 legged downward facing dog yoga pose left leg lifted on exercise mat

female transitioning from tri pada adho mukha svanasana or 3 legged downward facing dog yoga pose to Kapotasana or pigeon pose by bringing left knee to left wrist on exercise mat

female engaging in Kapotasana or pigeon pose left leg forward palms on mat upper body lifted on exercise mat

female engaging in Kapotasana or pigeon pose left leg forward elbows on mat upper body resting on left leg head lifted on exercise mat

female engaging in Kapotasana or pigeon pose left leg forward arms resting on mat upper body resting on left leg and forehead resting on exercise mat

Happy baby

Happy baby is another great hip opening pose that allows for a deep hip stretch. This pose also stretches the spine and it is a grounding pose.

How to: Begin laying on your back on your mat. Bring your knees into your chest. Open your knees out wide to your armpits, as you reach your hands to grab your ankles, peace fingers to big toes or grabbing the outside of the soles of your feet with your hands. Gently press the soles of your feet to the ceiling as you pull your feet down with your hands. Breathing deeply here. Slowly rocking from side to side if that feels good to you.

Female sitting on exercise mat knees bent soles of feet on mat hands behind the knees

Female laying on exercise mat knees bent into chest hands holding knees

Female engaged in Ananda Balasana or happy baby yoga pose with hands holding ankles on exercise mat

Female engaged in Ananda Balasana or happy baby yoga pose with peace fingers grasping big toes on exercise mat

Savasana

This is most important pose of yoga. This pose allows for integration of your practice, calms the mind and relaxes the body.

How to: begin lying on the mat with your knees bent and soles of the feet flat on the mat. Bring your feet out as wide as the mat and allow your knees to come together. place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly and just begin to deepen your breath here. slowly shift your knees to the right then shift them to the left allowing your feet to slide towards the front of the mat. moving your knees back and forth until your legs are lying flat on the mat. bring your arms out several inches from your body palms up allowing your feet to fall naturally. draw your shoulders blade in and closer together. relax your forehead, relax your jaw, relax your shoulders and just focus on your breath, in and out. remain in this position for at least 3-5 minutes or longer.

_{Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you have any medical or psychiatric concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.}