Easy Stress Relief Yoga
Are you ready to put anxiety behind you? Yoga is the antidote to chronic stress.
Albert Einstein said, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
Gentle movement and breathwork can calm our bodies and minds.
How yoga supports our stress response
Yoga, which focuses on posture, breathwork, and meditation, offers a holistic approach to relieving stress. According to Stanford psychiatrist Vanika Chawla, MD, yoga helps regulate the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, counteracting the harmful effects of chronic stress. It positively influences our emotions, memory, and cognitive function, making it a valuable tool for staying resilient and hopeful.
In other words, yoga is good for us. The practice invites calm and clarity, enabling us to embody peace.
Practicing yoga to find balance and clarity
The yogic concept of the gunas—tamas, rajas, and sattva—represents the mind’s qualities. As yoga pioneer TKV Desikachar writes in his book, “The Heart of Yoga,” tamas is lethargy, rajas is activity, and sattva is balance and clarity. Ideally, we feel tamas at night and rajas in the morning after rest. Yoga helps us avoid swinging between these energies and cultivate more sattva.
Sattva isn’t about detachment or pure stillness; yoga equips us to engage with the world more fully, like surfing stormy seas. Simple poses and breathwork can help us respond to challenges with a balanced, sattvic mindset rather than reacting impulsively (rajasic) or disengaging (tamasic). By cultivating sattva on the mat, we can achieve a greater sense of calm and clarity.
Yoga encourages us to pause, breathe, move, reflect, and rest—all of which help relieve stress.
Even three minutes of mindful movement can ground us in overwhelming moments and help us engage with more calm and patience. Simple seated poses and counted breaths offer gentle support during tough times.
3-Minute simple yoga practice:
- Cat-Cow (seated or on hands and knees): Arch your back as you inhale, and round it as you exhale to stretch the spine and lengthen the breath.
- Half Sun Salute: Inhale as you raise your arms, exhale as you fold forward, and rise back up with a straight spine. Repeat 3-5 times.
- Twists: Inhale to lengthen your spine, exhale as you rotate your torso, twisting gently. Repeat 3-5 times on each side.
- Forward Fold: Inhale to lengthen your spine, exhale as you fold forward to stretch your legs and spine.
- Legs-Up-the-Wall: Lie on your back with your legs extended against a wall, allowing gravity to release tension from your lower body.
- Breathwork (Pranayama): Try simple breathing exercises, such as the 5-part square breath, to promote calm.
- Guided Meditation: Focus on cultivating patience through meditation. For support, check out online guides like this meditation for patience.
This quick and easy yoga practice helps to relieve stress by balancing the mind and providing clarity in response to life’s challenges.
If you’re experiencing heightened anxiety and need psychological support, contact the Crisis Text Line (Text HOME to 741741) or your local mental health or counseling services.
