5 Yoga Poses You Can Do For immediate Stress Relief

All five poses that 1 am going to share with you today are Restorative yoga poses. Restorative yoga moves our nervous system from fight or flight to rest and reset. Restorative yoga is about cultivating space, ease and a sweet feeling of contentment in the body, mind and spirit. These poses are designed to use support and time to soothe and nourish and drop us into the healing state called the relaxation response.

Benefits:

Restore balance/wholeness to the body in every way: strength and flexibility; effort and ease; independence and interdependence.
Stretch/relieve/release/repair tissues in the body. This may include muscles, connective tissue, or joints. Helps improve the condition of the respiratory, circulatory, digestion and elimination, and lymphatic systems, and may even help to balance the nervous and endocrine systems.
Promotes the Relaxation Response. Turning off, or at least down, the sympathetic nervous system and creating the conditions to evoke the parasympathetic nervous system.
Builds an understanding of one's personal response to stressors. This practice teaches us to pause the tendency to be reactive and learn to be responsive instead.
Creates an ocean of stillness in which can begin to perceive the Unconscious patterns of the mind.
Embody and accept the truth that all things are constantly Changing.

Restorative poses are practiced with little or no effort. They are a practice of being. Not doing. This practice will remind us to enjoy the journey and that this moment is absolutely perfect as it is. Creating the The best support for each pose is part science and part art. In restorative Posing effort is replaced with time. Many tissues will begin to trust and soften after 3-5 minutes, and the nervous system will respond to longer holds in comfortable stillness.

You Will Need:

Be patient, playful and creative and remember it is supposed to feel good. If you are not comfortable, change something. Keep trying. It’s worth it.

Pose 1 (No props necessary): Viparita Karani/Legs up the wall

Lie on the floor with your spine perpendicular to a wall. Sit bones a few inches from the wall, knees hugged into chest. Roll onto your back and straighten your legs up the wall. Wall will support your legs. If your uncomfortable try adjusting the distance between your sit bones/bottom and the wall. If your hamstrings are tight you will be more comfortable farther from the wall. If your hamstrings are flexible you can have your sit bones touching the wall. For more comfort and ease put a folded blanket under your head; Not your neck so the chin feels ever so slightly tucked to the chest. Remember you want to adjust until you feel comfortable. The props are meant to support you so you can minimize effort and relax. You can stay in this pose for 5-20 min. Note: 20 mins in a restorative pose is said to be equivalent to 4 hours of deep sleep. Consider setting a timer so you can let go. Getting out. Get out as mindfully and slow as you got in. This ensures that you don’t shock your nervous system back into fight or flight. Bend your knees into your chest and pause. Roll onto your right side and pause. Sit up and pause.

Pose 2: Supta baddha konasana/Reclining bound angle

Props: bolster, blanket and 2 blocks. Have props close by and blanket folded tri fold. Sit on floor with bolster behind you in line with your spine, width edge touching your lower back, Bottom on floor. Lie your back/whole spine onto bolster/blanket under head, not neck. Blanket and head on bolster. Knees bent, souls of feet together, knees drop open to sides like butterfly wings. One block under each thigh. Adjust blocks/books for comfort. Closer to knee or hip. You want to feel completely comfortable and relaxed. If you do not. Adjust the props until you do. Stay 5-10 min. Consider setting a timer so you can relax. Getting out. Use your hands to bring the knees together. Roll onto your right side off the bolster and pause. Use your hands to press up to a
comfortable seat and pause.

Pose 3: 3 Part Twist

Part 1: Pelvis and hips on floor, width edge of bolster touching your hip. Lie on your side on bolster. Bottom arm straight under your head. Both legs bent at 90 degrees. Bottom leg in front of you, your knee in line with your pelvis and top leg in line with your spine, knee bent and shine behind you. If top leg/inner knee is not resting comfortably on the floor then prop it with a folded blanket. Type of fold will depend on the distance your leg is from the floor. Remember: you want to feel meet over your head. The bottom hand may grab your top wrist and gently pull until you feel a subtle stretch in your top body/rib cage, waist area. Stay at least a full minute.

Part 2: Use your hands to slightly lift your upper body. Place each hand on the floor on either side of the bolster. Use your hands and upper body strength to rotate your spine towards the bolster. Lengthen your spine as you rotate. Actively pull your shoulders away from your ears and pull your chest forward. Rotate only to a place of subtle opening/comfort and lie back down on the bolster (chest and belly down). Widen your upper back. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees. Spread your forearms away from each other and rest your arms on the floor. Stay at least one full minute.

Part 3 (optional): Push slightly into your forearms. Just enough to lift your head and rotate your neck until your eyes face the opposite direction at least one full minute. If this is not completely comfortable, skip this part. Stay at at least one full minute.

NOTE: Your final pose may be part 2 or part 3. Whichever is most comfortable for you. If comfortable, stay in the final pose for three minutes. Getting out: If you went to part three then push into your hands just enough to turn your head back the original direction and PAUSE. Then push into your hands just enough to make your way back onto your side where you came from and PAUSE. Then use your arms to sit all the way up and PAUSE. Then repeat on your second side.

Pose 4: Upavista Konasana/Seated wide angle

Sit on the floor with your legs wide open in a V shape. If you can not sit tall with a straight spine, put a folded blanket under your bottom. Fold your torso forward at the hips until you can rest completely on the bolster. You may need to get creative if your body does not comfortably rest on bolster. You can use extra pillows and or more folded blankets stacked on top of the bolster. Be willing to take the time to find the props you need to rest ease fully. Stay in pose 3-5 minutes.

Pose 5: Salamba Savasana/Supported final rest

Lie flat on your back. Blanket folded under head; not neck. Bolster under knees. Back heels resting on the floor. Arms wide in a V shape. Palms facing up to the sky. You want to be so comfortable that you feel like you want to stay in pose forever. Considering an eye pillow over your eyes. Stay 5-10 mins. Rest, relax and enjoy! Feel free to increase duration of stay over time. Getting out: Always get out of these poses as slow and mindfully as you got in. roll onto your right side. Hug your knees into your chest and
support your head and neck. PAUSE. Keep your eyes closed and stay relaxed. Use your hands to press yourself up to a comfortable seat. You may sit on a blanket or bolster for increased comfort. Pause. Notice how you feel and internally thank yourself for your efforts to increase the quality of your life.