Millions of people across the globe are dealing with high levels of stress and anxiety due to modern lifestyle and demanding jobs. Thankfully, yoga has been helping us fight anxiety and stress since time immemorial. The ancient practice is acting as a major stress and anxiety reliever for people who are close to burnout and looking for ways to recover.
In this blog, Ekattva Yogshala will share 5 asanas that are helping millions of people fight anxiety and depression. Read on and learn to master the helpful poses!
Halasana (Plow pose)
Support your back with your hands and lower your legs over your head.
Now put your toes on the mat behind you.
Create a space between your face and your legs by holding your thighs firmly.
Breath deeply and slowly for 3-5 minutes or as long as you can hold the pose.
Release while slowly rolling down one vertebra at a time.
Now relax with your back flat on the yoga mat/floor for a couple of minutes while deep breathing.
Effects: This yoga poses for anxiety and depression specifically focuses on the nervous system and has relieving effects on anxiety, stress, and even depression.
Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand)
You’ll be going to require two folded blankets to perform this asana. They will be supporting your neck and shoulders.
Keep your arms stretched out alongside your body.
While exhaling, bend your knees, bring your legs towards the chest.
Push your hands into the floor and swing your bent legs over your head.
Now support your back with your hands, and fingers turned towards the spine.
Raise the hips and thighs as high as you can.
Remember to keep your legs straight here and the top of the sternum should move towards your chin.
Keep your elbows straight as much as possible and if you find it hard to do, use a strap to hold your arms together.
Remain in the position for 3-5 minutes then slowly release.
Effects: This yoga pose for stress relieves irritability. It also aids in balancing your emotions by quieting and nourishing the nervous system. This is really important for people dealing with work stress!
yoga for stress
Don’t practice this asana if you are having any of these health problems:
Neck or shoulder injury
High blood pressure
Menstruation
Maintaining a healthy diet is the key to quick healing. Check out top sattvic yoga diet beginner foods to start with!
Balasana (Child pose)
This asana is known not only to cure anxiety and stress but also improves your digestion. Here’s how to do it!
Kneel on the mat with your big toes touching and your knees.
Make sure they touch them slightly wider than your hips.
Now lie down forward and stretch your arms, keeping the trunk forward.
Rest your head on the floor or a blanket if you like a little comfort.
Release while breathing deep.
Effects: Balasana helps curing anxiety and depression by releasing spinal muscles. It can also calm down the nerves during times of uncertainty!
Begin this asana with placing support in front of you. (bolster or blanket)
Spread out your feet appx. 4 feet apart and maintain the outer edges parallel.
While keeping your thighs well lifted exhale and bend forward from your hips, with hands down between your feet.
Now raise your hips up as you bring your shoulder blades away from the ears.
Try to keep your head in a position similar to the headstand.
Now extend your trunk forward while you look up, arching your back slightly
Your neck should be slightly concave from your tailbone to the base of your skull.
Hold this position for 5-10 seconds, then exhale, bend your elbows, and rest your head crown on the support.
Breathe deep and try to stay in the position for at least one minute.
Return to the concave back position, bring your hands to your hips, and raise your trunk to come out from this stress-relieving asana.
Effects: The forward bend pose variation is known to clear blocked nerves and combat fatigue. By doing this, the yoga variation can help overcome anxiety and depression.
Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Two-legged inverted Staff Pose), variation
Begin this unique asana for tackling anxiety and depression with placing a firm blanket on a chair (2 feet away from the wall).
Sit backward facing the wall, keep your buttocks on the edge of the chair.
Remember to place the chair far enough from the wall so that your feet can press into the wall when your legs are stretched out.
Now, hold the back of the chair firmly and make an arch back so that your shoulder blades are almost at the front of the chair.
Bring your feet close to the wall, keep your legs slightly bent and place your arms between the chair’s legs to hold them back.
Next step is to stretch your legs as you press the chair away from the wall. Keep rolling your thighs inwards, towards each other.
If you have neck problems, rest your head on a bolster. Breathe quietly for up to a minute, and then come out of the pose.
Effects: The major benefit this yoga asana for depression and anxiety does is opening up your chest and thereby bringing up the lost optimism and motivation.
Above yoga asanas will surely help you in tackling anxiety and depression.
Times are hard but this does not mean we can’t overcome anxiety and depression! By practicing yoga asanas, meditation and pranayama techniques on a daily basis, you can fight depression and overcome anxiety during pandemic economic slowdown.
Yoga is beneficial for physical, mental and emotional health and is therefore practiced all across the globe. If you are into yoga, why not become a teacher and share its benefits with the entire world?
To enquire and learn everything about the yoga teacher training courses offered at Ekattva, send an email to info@spiritualpunditz.com and our experienced yoga teachers will get in touch with you!
April 15, 2020
By: The Admin
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