Do you want to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety? Try yoga workout for stress and anxiety relief, because there some yoga poses that have been proven to have therapeutic and mental benefits.
Maybe you’ve gone through this experience before: You wake up in the morning, rush to take your bath and still get late to work. You had a busy day at work and upon getting home late in the night, you sit down to relax only to hear a beep on your phone again.
Then you realize you’ve not gone through your email inbox today. You grab your laptop and start replying those important emails.
In the end, it ends up being a super-stressed day for you with virtually no time to relax.
Trust me, I’ve been there. Luckily this article of the best yoga workout for stress and anxiety relief will teach you the simplest yoga asanas you can do within just 15 minutes.
Effects of Yoga on Stress and Anxiety
Day after day, we go through unimaginable amounts of stress and anxiety and this is beginning to affect our body.
Stress begins in the mind but eventually, it shows itself in our body.
Therefore, it is of utmost importance to quickly check that physical and emotional strain. A good way to begin is by meditation to calm anxiety and stress.
This is where the yoga pose for stress and anxiety becomes useful.
Be rest assured, you do not need to sacrifice those hours you might desperately need.
In just 15 minutes, the yoga workout for stress and anxiety relief might just be the magic formula to help you relax.
We have tried to give you the simplest beginner yoga pose routines that can be done virtually anywhere.
Once you’ve got your mat on the floor, then you are good to go.
The upside of these yoga workouts for stress and anxiety is that it also helps to strengthen and lengthen your muscles.
This is one of the major reasons why experts always recommend yoga for those days that you feeling mentally and also physically overwhelmed (1).
The yoga workout for stress and anxiety allows you to let go of all your worries, by making you focus on the mat and focus on the present.
You can call it a healthy distraction that your body will really appreciate.
In this article, we take you through the best yoga workout for stress and anxiety that can be performed in just under 15 minutes.
This calming yoga routine will help you find your center and also make you relax.
But before we proceed, it is important we look at the benefits of yoga on the body.
[ Read: 13 Best Restorative Yoga Poses to Reduce Stress and Pain Fast ]
Benefits of Yoga
People do not practice yoga just for the fun of it. Yoga is an ancient practice that has been around for centuries. It has been scientifically backed to bring together your body and mind (2).
Practicing yoga comes with numerous benefits that have been backed by science to improve physical and also mental health. Below are some of the benefits you can derive from yoga
Yoga Relieves Anxiety
Most people practice yoga in order to cope with their levels of anxiety. This has been backed up by years of research by health experts.
Yoga is helpful in dealing with different levels of stress including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Health experts have continued to stress the importance of yoga pose for stress relief (3).
Therefore, it is important to do yoga if you want to relieve yourself of anxiety.
Yoga for Healthy Heart
The heart is one important component of the human body.
It not only pumps blood throughout your body, but it also helps to supply your body’s tissue with important nutrients.
Numerous studies have proven that yoga can be helpful in improving the overall health of your heart. It is also said that it can reduce the risk of heart diseases. This it does by regulating the body’s blood pressure and pulse rate (4).
Yoga Reduces Stress
Yoga is also popular for its ability to reduce your body’s stress level. Not only does it ease stress, but it also helps you to relax.
Stress in the body often comes about as a result of an increase in the cortisol hormone. The cortisol hormone is the main stress hormone in the body.
Yoga has been proven to help decrease the secretion of the cortisol hormone (5).
Protect against Inflammation
Though inflammation is regarded as a regular immune response, chronic inflammation, however, can cause pro-inflammatory diseases some of which include cancer, diabetes and also heart diseases.
Yoga not only helps to improve your mental health, but it also combats inflammation.
Research has shown that yoga helps to prevent certain diseases caused by chronic inflammation (6).
Yoga Promotes Quality
It has been discovered that a poor sleep quarter can be associated with depression, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Studies have however proven that practicing a calming yoga can help to promote better sleep quality.
This it does by increasing the secretion of melatonin, which is the hormone that regulates wakefulness and sleep (7).
[ Read: How to Lose Stress Weight: Cortisol and Weight Gain]
15 Minutes Yoga Workout for Stress, Depression and Anxiety Relief
1. Pigeon Pose
The pigeon pose is a fantastic yoga workout for stress and anxiety that places emphasis on your hips. This is because the hips hold on to a large amount of emotional tension.
The pose will also help you let go of all the stresses that have built up in your body over the years. Follow the guidelines below to perform the pigeon pose.
Directions
- Begin by assuming a downward-facing dog position.
- Place the right knee to the front and bring it just in line with the right hand.
- Your ankle should also be in line with the left hand. Make sure the shin is also parallel to the front of your mat.
- Gradually extend your left leg to the back and bring your knee at a rest. The top of your foot should also be on the floor.
- Now square the hips and also fold forward. Ensure your forehead is resting on your hands.
- Repeat this position on your other side and hold for about 2 to 5 minutes on each side.
2. Forward Fold
Some of us always feel a tension in our upper thighs and lower back after a stressful day at work.
The good news is you can finally let go of all that stress that has resulted in tensions in these areas.
The forward fold is a calming yoga routine that ranks as one the simplest and best yoga workout for stress and anxiety relief.
This pose helps to release the tension that has an accumulation in your upper thighs and lower back.
It also allows you to let go of your worries and turn off the world for a few moments as you draw your energy in.
Directions
- Begin by assuming the mountain pose position and make sure both your feet are planted on the floor firmly.
- Your hands should also be on your hips.
- Now breathe out and gradually fold forward from the hip joints. You should also lengthen the front of the torso.
- Bend the elbows and hold on to the other elbow with your opposite hand.
- You can lightly sway from side to side if you are enjoying this pose.
- Maintain your position for at least 60 seconds.
3. Child’s Pose
Most people regard Child’s Pose as the ultimate yoga workout for stress and anxiety relief.
The pose is excellent at helping to calm your mind and also the body after a stressful day.
It allows you to sit back, breathe, and switch off all distractions around you for just some minutes.
Those who have been practicing this pose have testified that it always makes them feel more balanced both mentally and physically.
Directions
- Begin by sitting on the floor and also make sure your knees are wide with your toes touching.
- Bring down your belly just between your thighs and place your forehead on the mat.
- Stretch out your arms and face your palms to the floor. Also, make sure you stretch out your hips through your fingertips.
- Inhale and exhale gently and hold this position for about 1-5 minutes.
4. Malasana Squat
Have you been feeling anxious lately? Well, here is good news for you.
The malasana squat is a remarkable yoga workout for stress and anxiety relief.
The pose is famous for drawing all your energy down, thereby helping to feel a little more grounded and less anxious.
Follow the guidelines below to perform this remarkable yoga for stress and anxiety relief.
Directions
- Begin with your feet at a hip-width apart.
- Also, ensure that your heels are flat with the toes pointed outwards.
- Bring your hips down in a position that your body will be sitting between the thighs.
- Place your hands at the center of your heart and hold that position for about 10-15 seconds.
5. Reclined Goddess
For those who are familiar with this pose, you will agree with us that this pose is actually worth its name – Goddess.
A few minutes of this pose, and you’ll be feeling like a new person – free from all the stress and worries that you might have gone through.
This is one of our favorite poses because it always makes us feel refreshed and energized.
Directions
- Begin by lying back and at the same time, let the soles of your feet touch one another.
- Open your knees and relax them to the sides.
- When you feel comfortable, bring your arms to your sides and allow your palms face up.
- Breathe gently and maintain this position for about 5-15 minutes.
6. The Tree Pose
This is one pose that can prove difficult to perform but you will definitely appreciate it when you eventually get the hang of it.
The tree pose is one of our favorites not only because it serves as yoga for stress and depression, but because it also helps to improve body balance.
We have explained below how to perform one of the most beneficial yoga workouts for stress and anxiety relief.
Directions
- Begin by shifting your body weight to your right foot and gradually lift your left foot just to the inside of the right leg.
- Raise your heels as high up on the opposite leg as you can.
- Place your hands at your heart. This will help you gain balance.
- If you want to further challenge yourself more, then you can raise your hands straight over your head.
- Hold this position for about 30 seconds to 60 seconds and repeat pose on the opposite leg.
[ Read: 15 Best Yoga Asanas for Beginners to Lose Weight Fast]
7. Seated Meditation
Meditation is definitely one of the best yoga workouts for stress and anxiety relief.
It helps to take your head from the chaos surrounding you to a place of calm and clarity.
The guide below will show you the best way to perform the seated meditation pose.
Directions
- Begin by sitting on your mat and closing your eyes.
- Inhale deeply, hold for about 3-5 seconds, and slowly exhale.
- Make sure your focus is on your breath.
- If you want to release anxiety, then focus the inhale on areas you might have built up tension during the day.
- Exhale, and imagine all the tensions being released.
- You can begin with about 5-15 minutes of meditation every day.
[ Read: 11 Easy Yoga Poses for Two People: Friends, Partners, and Lovers ]
Conclusion
Yoga is a wonderful method that has been proven by science to be beneficial to the overall health of your body.
We have listed 7 yoga poses that you can always do just within 15 minutes after a stressful day at work.
These poses are easy to perform and can be done virtually anywhere.
These are your best yoga workout for stress and anxiety relief. Just grab your mat and perform some poses.
