The Best Yoga Poses For Reducing Anxiety 

People have praised Yoga for its ability to calm your whole body. Yoga has even been credited with helping people like Meghan Markle and Jennifer Aniston, aiding in stress management and mental wellness. Like many others, Aniston does credit Yoga.

If yoga works for some of the busiest people in the world, it makes perfect sense to try it.

This health blog will walk you through some of the best yoga poses specifically aimed at relieving anxiety. So, if you’re looking for ways to reduce anxiety naturally, you’ve landed on the right page.

But before we move on to the poses, visit the Nirva Health Yoga page for exercises that enhance mental wellness through Yoga.

How Does Yoga Help With Anxiety?

Anxiety feels like an unbearable cycle of thinking and restlessness. But how is yoga helpful? The reason is the combination of body and mind. Yoga integrates movement, breath, and mindfulness, acting on the nervous system and creating a soothing sensation. 

During anxiety, the body tends to secrete some stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are responsible for triggering the fight or flight response of the body, which increases the acceleration of the heartbeat and makes muscles tight. 

Yoga works towards activating the opposite. It encourages the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the rest and digest system. This system signals safety to the body, and therefore, muscles are able to relax, the breathing rate is slow, and the mind is tranquil. 

Major Advantages Of Yoga Therapy In Anxiety 

There are several ways in which yoga helps to reduce anxiety. 

• Inhibits the secretion of stress hormones: Yoga helps balance the production of cortisol and adrenaline hormones to restore equilibrium and control the system.
• Relaxes tight muscles: Anxiety can result in tight shoulders, a stiff neck, and a headache. Yoga contributes to relieving tension in the muscles.
• Enhances deep breathing: Shallow breathing is common with anxiety. Yoga facilitates controlled breathing, which helps one relax and increases the flow of oxygen to the body.
• Bolsters mindfulness: Mindfulness helps one stay in the present, reducing worry and breaking the cycle of anxious thinking.
• Improves sleep quality: Anxiety often makes it hard to fall asleep. Relaxation techniques such as yoga make it easier to unwind before bedtime.

Tip: Doing yoga daily for even 10-15 minutes can improve your anxiety tremendously over time!

Best Yoga Poses To Relieve Anxiety

The practice of yoga integrates the stretching of a person’s body as well as finding equilibrium in all its forms: physical, mental, and emotional. Many poses help in releasing tension, breathing, and calming the mind. They are simple to perform and are effective even for a beginner. So, let’s dive right into some of the relaxing yoga poses:

1. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

How It Helps:

• Stretches the spine and hips
• Encourages a greater sense of safety and calm
• Promotes a calm sense of relaxation.
• Encourages deep, slow breathing.

How To Do It:

• Kneel on a mat with your big toes together and sit on the heels
• Stretch your arms forward and place your forehead on the ground
• Keep your elbows at a soft bend and release your shoulders.
• To practice this pose, breathe slowly, greatly inflating your abdomen with air while inhaling and deflating while exhaling. Preferably, stay in this position for a minimum of 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• After mastering the position, feel free to hold it for longer.

Tip: For greater comfort, place a cushion under your chest.

2. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)

How It Helps:

• Relieves stress in the lower regions of the body. 
• Enhances blood flow and relaxes the nervous system.  
• Eases stress and insomnia.

How to Do It:

• Look for a free space on the wall and sit beside it.
• Pull your legs up onto the wall as you lower your torso to the ground. 
• Change your distance from the wall so that your legs are comfortable and resting fully supported.
• Rest your arms next to you with your palms up.
• Close your eyelids and concentrate on shallow and deep abdominal breaths.
• Hold the position from 3 to 5 minutes or longer if required.

Tip: Place a folded blanket beneath your lower back for added support. 

3. Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)

How It Helps:

• Benefits the spine and shoulder by relieving the tension.
• Stimulates rhythmic breath and reduces stress.
• Mental clarity, stress and relaxation.

How to Do It:

• Begin on all fours. Place your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Take a deep breath. Lift your head and your tailbone while arching your back. (Cow Pose)
• Then, breathe out. Round your spine by tucking your chin and bringing the belly button towards the spine. (Cat Pose)
• Continue to transition slowly between the two postures, matching each movement to the breath.
• Repeat the process for 5–10 deep breaths or for as long as desired. 

Tip: The movement should be slow and gentle to create a connection between breath and movement.

4. Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

Why It Works: 

• Loosens up the lower back region and the hamstrings.
• Enables relaxation through increased blood circulation to the brain.
• It helps in attaining a calm, non-active mind.

How to Do It:

• Begin by standing upright with legs hip-width apart, then bend forward at the waist. 
• Let your head drop forward so that it feels heavy as the neck and shoulders are relaxed.
• If there is tension in the lower back, a slight bend on the knees may be needed.  
• The elbows can also be held, or the hands can be placed flat on the ground.
• For deep breathing, the pose can be held for 30 seconds to a minute. 

Tip: A minor reduction of the knee angle can be made in order to relieve tension.

5. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

How It Helps:

• Reduces anxiety and excess nervous energy
• Alleviates tension in the spine and protects the hamstrings from injury
• Promotes self-reflection, inner mindfulness and self-awareness

The ones who feel particularly anxious or restless would find the seated forward bend useful. This posture gives the grounding effect and further promotes a meditative state by allowing an individual to fold inward. 

This asana and its variations are known to stretch the back, hamstrings, and shoulders, which tend to be stiff due to stress and tension. This exercise, in conjunction with breath control, can calm the nervous system and cultivate reduced feelings of anxiety or worry. 

How to Do It:

• Sit with the legs fully extended in front.
• Take a deep breath, elongating the spine, and exhale while bending at the waist.
• Place your hands on your legs, feet or the floor and let them rest wherever they fall. 
• Breathe deeply while remaining in this posture for 1 to 2 minutes.

Tip: In case of tight hamstrings or lower back, placing a bolster under the knees or slightly bending them could help. Remember that the aim is relaxation, not force.

6. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

How It Helps:

• Expands the chest and heart, facilitating the gentle deepening of breath
• Relaxes the muscles
• Enhances the blood flow and relieves the tightness in the muscles
• Aids in the moderation of the nervous system

The bridge pose is a powerful chest opener that increases oxygenation. When anxious, people tend to hunch over and breathe shallowly. This pose combats that by relieving the restriction placed on the ribcage and enabling deep breaths, which soothes the mind.

How To Do It:

• Start by lying on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor, positioned so that they are hip-width apart.
• Lift your hips up by pressing down with your feet and tightening your glutes.
• Your shoulders should be relaxed, and your arms should be resting at your sides, extended.
• You should maintain the position for 30 seconds to 1 minute while deeply breathing.

Tip: If you wish to be in the position without using muscle energy, then put the yoga block under your lower back.

7. Corpse Pose (Savasana)  

How It Helps:  

• Completely relaxes the body. 
• Reduces heart rate and blood pressure. 
• Aids in resetting the mind along with the nervous system.  

This pose is typically the last resting posture in yoga practice, but it is also one of the most effective poses for relieving anxiety. It enables you to give up entirely and allows the body to release tension and mental stress. When practised regularly, Savasana helps in learning to train the body into a deeply relaxed state with more ease over time.  

How to Do It:  

• Lie down on your back and allow your arms to fall beside your body.  
• Shut your eyes and concentrate on breathing in and out deeply.  
• For the next 5 to 10 minutes, maintain this position and let your body relax fully.  
• Covers with a blanket or eye pillow enhance comfort and make the experience cosier.  

Anxiety Relief Breathing Techniques  

In yoga, these breathing exercises, referred to as pranayama, help promote better emotional regulation and enhanced clarity of thought while also providing immediate relief from distress. Let us examine two helpful techniques that can significantly improve one’s mental state.

Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)  

• Achieves equilibrium in the nervous system 
• Refines focus and clears the mind

This technique is of utmost importance while trying to relieve anxiety. It assists in balancing both sides or hemispheres of the brain, which helps achieve a calm mental state of focus.  

How to Do It:  

• Inhale using only your left nostril.  
• Close your left nostril. Open your right nostril and exhale.  
• Repeat this cycle for 1-2 minutes.  

Tip: Use this before entering a high-stress scenario or when you need to soothe anxiety in a short timeframe.  

Deep Belly Breathing (Diaphragmatic Breathing)

• Kicks off a relaxation response.  
• Eases anxiety and enhances oxygen circulation.  

An extremely common symptom of anxiety is shallow breathing. This technique soothes the nervous system by increasing breath volume, resulting in deeper inhalation.  

How To Do It:  

• Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.  
• Breathe in through your nose, filling your lungs and belly.  
• Breathe out while slowly letting your belly deflate.  
• For the next five minutes, concentrate on slow, deliberate breaths.  

Tip: Attempt this before going to bed if you want to enjoy a restful night’s sleep.

Wrapping It Up

It can be true that anxiety can feel paralysing in some instances. However, your mind can always be calmed using the power that lies within you. Regular practice of yoga can restore equilibrium, which helps alleviate stress and tension. Taking small steps and gradually building on a habit helps enhance mental well-being.

Studies have indicated that the regular practice of yoga decreases stress levels. Simply practising yoga for 10 to 15 minutes daily can improve sleep quality, relieve stress, and promote focus and peace of mind. As a result, one’s mental state is positively transformed.

To start practising yoga, all one needs to do is roll out a mat. While transitioning through different yoga poses, one can visualise stretching into a balanced and serene version of oneself. This makes yoga a great way to work towards attaining inner peace.