Regular yoga practice can help us stay calm, grounded, and relaxed in our daily lives, as well as give us strength and focus when facing stressful events. Even when we don’t have time to implement a full yoga practice, just a few minutes in a carefully chosen yoga pose can be incredibly helpful during moments of anxiety. So next time you are feeling overwhelmed panicked, try one of these to get you through the moment.
Child’s Pose (Balasana):
An essential resting pose in any yoga practice, this pose can help slow the mind and create a feeling of comfort and self-soothing. It involves sitting on the shins with hips resting on heels, laying chest forward over the thighs and relaxing with the forehead to the floor. Arms can extend forward or lay by your side. Hold for 8-10 breaths.
Final Resting Pose (Savasana):
This pose helps create a feeling of complete relaxation and is especially helpful for anxiety or panic. Try lying down flat on your back, with arms at your sides and focus on taking smooth long breaths for 10 minutes.
Tree Pose (Vrksasana):
This basic standing balance pose can help calm a racing mind and increase concentration. Stand tall, shift your weight to your right leg, and place the sole of the left foot into your inner right thigh or just below the knee with toes pointing towards the floor. Press the left foot into the inner right thigh, while resisting that pressure with your outer right thigh. Hands then come to prayer position with thumbs at the heart, eye gaze can face forward or up to the ceiling. Hold for 5-10 breaths, then switch sides.
Legs Up The Wall Pose (Viparita Karani):
This simple pose helps slow down racing thoughts and creates a sense of calm relaxation. Lying down on your back, elevate and rest your feet against a wall with legs straight. Try to get the hips as close to the wall as possible, close your eyes and relax for 10 minutes.
Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana):
A great pose for calming down the nervous system, this pose releases tension in the upper body while being extremely soothing. From a standing position, bend forward over the legs, relaxing the head neck and shoulders completely. Hold for 5-10 breaths.
References:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/19/yoga-for-anxiety-10-poses_n_3281986.html
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-16345/5-yoga-poses-to-help-alleviate-anxiety.html
http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/health-and-wellness/yoga-for-anxiety-disorder
