International Yoga Day 2022: 7 Yoga Poses For Relieving Stress

It is estimated about 89% of the Indian population are suffering from stress, and nearly 75% of respondents don't feel comfortable consulting a medical practitioner.

Due to a sedentary lifestyle, people are becoming more and more vulnerable to stress. Stress affects your physical, mental, social, and intellectual health. Yoga is one such form of deep-breathing exercise that trains your body and mind to cope with stress and improve overall health and well-being.

Yogic practices play an integral role in promoting emotional sensitivity, improving attention, mental performance, and balancing personality traits [1]. Like every year, this year too International Yoga Day will be celebrated on 21 June and amid this COVID-19 pandemic, we can practice these beneficial yoga poses at home and stay stress-free.

Yoga Poses For Relieving Stress

1. Easy pose (Sukhasana)

This yoga asana evokes a sense of calm and peace through your mind and body and brings relief from anxiety, stress, and exhaustion [2].

How to do:

• Cross your legs and sit.
• Slightly bend forward and move your knees closer together until your feet are directly underneath them.
• Stretch your arms forward and stay in this position for as long as you can while breathing normally.

2. Rabbit pose (Sasangasana)

If you are stressed, exhausted and have panic attacks, this rabbit pose is right for you. It relaxes your mind and body and takes away the stress from your shoulders and neck.

How to do:

• Kneel down and interlace your fingers behind your back, lift your hips, and roll to the crown of your head.
• Press the tops of your feet down, and stay in this position for 5 minutes.

3. Standing forward bend (Uttanasana)

This yoga asana helps in relieving stress, depression, and anxiety. It brings in a sense of positive self-esteem and psychological well-being [3].

How to do:

• Stand straight and bend forward from the hip joints while you exhale.
• Slowly bring your hands to the floor in front or beside your feet or back of your ankles.
• Stay in this position. Inhale and exhale for 5 breaths.

4. Thunderbolt pose (Vajrasana) With Eagle Arms (Garudasana)

This yoga pose takes away all the stress and brings instant relief. It also facilitates good digestion, relieves you from indigestion, nerve problems, and sciatica [4].

How to do:

• Kneel and sit back on your heels.
• Bend your elbows and bring the right elbow into the left in such a way that the back of your hands is facing each other.
• Then intertwine your right hand in front of your left and bring the palms together.
• Hold for 5 breaths and reverse your arms.

5. Wide-legged standing forward bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)

Your mind takes in all the stress and pressure, the wide-legged standing forward bend yoga pose allows you to release some of the pressure from the head.

How to do:

• Stand and turn your feet parallel to each other and place your hands on the hips.
• Inhale and lift your chest, and with an exhale, bend forward from your hip joints.
• Place your hands on the floor with some distance apart.
• Hold the pose for 10 breaths.

6. Plow pose (Halasana)

Plow pose has a calming, restorative effect on the nervous system. It releases the tension from the mind, neck and throat, removes the accumulation of phlegm in the respiratory system, and helps in regulating your breath [5].

How to do:

• Lie down on your back and lift your legs back over your head and place your toes on the floor.
• Hold this position and inhale and exhale for 10 breaths.

7. Corpse pose (Savasana)

Corpse pose provides relaxation, better emotional well-being and self-care behaviour. Muscular and skeletal tension is relaxed in this yoga asana [6].

How to do:

• Lie down on your back with your legs straight together.
• Keep your hands beside your body.
• Stay in this position for 5 minutes and inhale and exhale.