Yoga Poses for Anxiety

Yoga is an excellent way to relieve stress and stay in shape. There are certain poses that really help relieve stress and get your body feeling relaxed and ready to face the world again. Here are some of the best yoga poses to try when you are feeling anxious.

Upward arm stretch is our first choice. How you perform this pose is you sit in a chair that is facing the wall and put your hands as high up on the wall as you possibly can. Then you gently walk the fingers up the wall as you stretch out your lower back. You will want to broaden out your shoulders and separate and lift your shoulder blades. Do not tense your neck or throat as you want to keep them soft. Once you have gotten your fingers as high as they can go you will want to sit there and rest for a while. If you can try, put your fingers up higher sit there for a few minutes and keep repeating. By stretching out your back you relieving any tension that might be lingering there.

Downward facing dog is ideal for those suffering from anxiety. You will want to come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Your knees will want to be below your hips and you will want your hands to be a bit above your shoulders. Spread out your hands and exhale and you life up your knees away from the floor. For those who need to you can keep your knees bent slightly and push up. You will want to strengthen out your arms as you stretch and try to push your legs straight. If you are able to you will want to stay in this pose for up to 3 minutes and then relax yourself gently onto the floor and go into child pose.

Corpse pose is another great pose for soothing anxiety. This is a great way to relax whether in the quiet of the home or or with some nice relaxing music playing in the background. You will want to lay down on the floor and allow your feet to fall out. You will want to allow your hands to fall to side and face upward. You will next want to work on relaxing your body and softening your face. Many people are not aware of how tense their muscles get in their facial area. You will want to keep your breathing very natural. Then bring your knees to your chest and rock gently back and forth. You will find yourself being lulled by the gentle rocking and the ease this pose offers.

By practicing any of these poses at least once a day you will find your anxiety reducing and you will begin to feel more relaxed.