Yoga to relieve stress | Relaxation techniques
Yoga has numerous physiological benefits, as you are undoubtedly already aware (toning, joint relaxation, muscular strengthening, flexibility, and many more). Still, it has also been demonstrated recently to significantly impact mental health by reducing stress.
Long-time yoga practitioners will already be aware of and experience the soothing benefits of the practice; nevertheless, you don't need to be an expert to recognize yoga's ability to reduce stress. Actually, even a brief novice yoga practice can help reduce anxiety, even if it's just through breathing exercises and balance exercises.
Since mental and physical well-being are closely related, doing what is healthy for your body can also benefit your mind. According to one study, practitioners of so-called mind-body interventions (MBI) like Tai Chi, yoga, and meditation generate far fewer molecules that activate genes that cause inflammation.
Yoga to relieve stress
Researchers from Radboud and Coventry universities examined data from 18 trials involving 846 participants and discovered that MBI practitioners generate notably less chemicals that trigger inflammatory genes.
Once a stressful experience has passed, the "fight or flight" response releases these molecules.
"Millions of people around the world already enjoy the health benefits of MBIs like yoga or meditation, but what they may not know is that those benefits start at a molecular level and can change the behavior of our genetic code," stated lead researcher Ivana Buric of Coventry University.
"To put it succinctly, MBIs induce the brain to alter DNA processes to enhance our wellbeing."
Those who find it difficult to achieve the seemingly subtle yet extremely effective yoga poses or who feel more sore than relaxed after practicing may believe that yoga is more stressful than calming, but it's possible that this is due to their inability to perform the poses correctly or in accordance with their level of experience.
Sitting yoga poses can help you feel more at ease and relaxed when you need to contemplate. This can lead to a more contemplative state. Standing poses, on the other hand, can help you focus and strengthen your muscles while boosting your energy level.
The best yoga postures
Certain poses are more calming than others, according to the findings of a survey conducted among yoga enthusiasts and specialists. Thus, these are the five most calming yoga postures to try if you want to start practicing yoga to de-stress and reduce stress:
Child's Pose (Balasana):
One of the most calming and common poses in a yoga class is this one.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana):
This pose can help you relax and release tension.
Corpse Pose (Savasana):
Although this is one of the simplest yoga poses, it can be difficult to remain motionless when under a lot of stress. One posture to think about for stress relief is this one, which triggers the relaxation reaction.
Standing Pinch (Uttanasana):
Although this is a transitional posture, it can also be used to release tension when done on its own.
Eagle Pose (Garudasana):
After a challenging day, a lot of stress builds up in the shoulder region, which is where this position helps release it. Maintaining balance calls for intense focus, which helps to calm the mind.