3 Simple Yoga Poses to Reduce Stress

I have a love/hate relationship with the phrase "Just relax". Arguably, it should be that easy. But if it were that easy we'd never be stressed right? The thing is, even if our heart is in on the whole relaxation thing, our brain often doesn't know how to come along for the ride. 

All too often we look to Netflix, a glass of wine, scrolling social media, ice cream, or some other external way to help us deal with feeling stressed, but these external buffers can sometimes exacerbate the stress we feel. They keep our minds active, enable us to seemingly avoid the stress instead of release it, and can bring along their own set of stressors at times. 

A huge part of managing and reducing stress is giving your mind some space to turn off the chatter and your body some time to metabolize the hormones that produce our stress response in the first place. Yoga provides accessible tools available any time, anywhere to do just that.

Check out 3 simple poses that reduce stress and leave you feeling calm, centered, and clearheaded. 

Child's Pose

Child's pose (Balasana) is great for getting out of your head and into your body. This is right where you want to be when you're feeling stressed. This resting pose centers, calms, and soothes the brain. The inward fold of the body, with the eyes looking back towards you, sends a signal to your brain that you’re safe, and that it’s OK to rest, making it a therapeutic posture for relieving stress. It's also great for the adrenal glands, which work overtime when we're stressed.

• From a table top position either bring your big toes to touch and let the knees open wide or keep the knees close together as works for your body. 
• Let the hips release back toward the heels and stretch your hands out in front of you. Slowly fold your torso forward until your forehead rests on the mat.
• You can stack your hands and forearms to rest your head, leave arms out-stretched, or let them loose alongside your body.
• If your hips or bum aren’t touching your heels, you can place a cushion between them so you can let go and relax. Stay for at least 8-10 deep breaths letting your exhale be as long as possible.

---

Seated  (or standing) Forward Fold 

Forward folds, seated or standing, create space between each and every vertebra, increasing circulation to all those nerves that send message to and from the spinal cord. This extra space not only helps them do their job, but it soothes the system, helping us get out of the flight or fight mode stress can cause. It also gives us a moment to turn our gaze inward, physically and emotionally, tuning in to how we're currently responding to stress and giving us pause to consider how we'd like to show up instead. 

• From a seat extend your legs long and feel for your sitz bones to connect with the floor or mat. Alternately, stand with feet hip-width apart or wider. 
• Flex your toes back toward your nose, inhale and sweep your arms up overhead, relaxing your shoulders away from the ears. 
• Bend your knees as much as you need as you hinge at the hips, drawing your fingers forward (or down), maybe connecting hands to toes, ankles, or shins as works for your body. 
• Inhale and find extension in your spine. Exhale and maybe invite the knees a little closer to mat (or finding more extension in the legs). 
• Take 8-10 deep, full breaths before slowly rolling up to sit (stand). 

---

​Gyan Mudra

Didn't expect hand yoga, did ya? If you've never heard of mudras, think of them like yoga poses for your hands. Different areas of the hands are connected with areas in the body and the brain. Yoga mudras stimulate different areas of the brain and create or closing a specific energy circuit in the body, helping to direct the energy we feel and generate a specific state of mind, all at the same time. Gyan mudra is the most commonly known mudra and is believed to help increase  concentration, knowledge and memory.

• ​Sit in a comfortable position, cross-legged, legs extended, in a chair, or otherwise. 
• Touch your index fingertip to the tip of your thumb, while holding your other three fingers straight.
• Let the backs of your hands rest on your knees and close your eyes.
• Take a 4-4 breath, inhaling for the count of 4, exhaling for the count of 4. As your breath becomes easy and more regular, inhale for 4, then exhale for 5. Add one count to the exhale up to 8. 
• Allow the breath to come back to it's normal rhythm. 

---

Stress Tip!

Stress affects us in different ways, but is always accompanied by the release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Using yoga to manage and reduce your stress gives your body time to metabolize those hormones, lowering the amount of them coursing through the body, relieving physical tension as well as the feelings stress inspires like fear, anger, overwhelm, to name a few.  

As you learn to manage your stress response you'll become better able to identify your stress triggers in the first place. When you come across a stress trigger, try taking 2-3 minutes for yoga or breathing first, before it takes you over. 

What are your favorite yoga poses or other tools to manage and reduce stress?