Yoga To Calm The Mind – Yoga With Pooja
3 YOGA POSES TO CALM THE MIND (For Anxiety Relief) -By Pooja Doshi
1. Supported Shoulderstand: Salamba Sarvangasana
Lay on the floor with a folded blanket to prevent your neck from any strain. Make sure your arms are on the floor beside your torso, bending your knees and feet flat on the floor close to your sitting bones.
Slowly exhale, press your arms against the floor, start lifting your feet away from the floor, bringing your knees towards your face.
Lift yourself with the help of your palms making sure you are supporting your lower back. Bend your elbows, drawing them towards each other.
Lay the backs of your upper arms on the blanket and spread your palms against the back of your torso. Walk your hands up your back (toward the floor) without letting the elbows slide too much wider than shoulder-width.
Inhale and lift your bent knees toward the ceiling, bringing your thighs in line with your torso and toes facing the ceiling. Make sure your legs are straight and back supported.
Try to stay in this pose for 30 seconds then as you exhale, gently roll back down very slowly.
Benefits:
Calms the brain and helps with mild depression
Stretches the shoulders and neck
Improves digestion
Reduces fatigue and alleviates insomnia
Therapeutic for asthma, infertility, menopause and sinusitis
Stimulates the thyroid and prostate glands and abdominal organs
2. Extended Puppy Pose – Uttana Shishosana
This pose is between Child’s Pose and Downward-Facing Dog, which lengthens the spine and calms the mind.
Come onto all fours. Make sure your shoulders are above your wrists and your hips are above your knees like you are at 90 degrees. Make sure your toes are tucked under.
As you exhale, move your buttocks halfway back toward your heels making sure your elbows touch don’t touch the ground.
Drop your forehead to the floor onto a blanket to relax your neck. Feel a long stretch in your spine keeping your palms on the ground as you pull your hips back towards your heels.
Stay in this posture for 30 seconds to a minute, then release your buttocks down onto your heels.
Benefits:
This pose stretches the spine and shoulders
This pose is also very relaxing & it calms the mind and releases stress
3. Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose: Viparita Karani
This pose is a supported version of the shoulder stand. You will need to rest on 2 folded blankets to be totally relaxed and this posture is done using the support of the wall as you need to rest your legs vertically on it. The pose described here is a passive, supported variation of the shoulder stand.
Come to lying on your back, close to the wall with your hips facing the wall. Your sitting bones don’t necessarily have to be touching the wall but can be a couple of inches away as long as you are not straining your lower back.
With an exhalation, swing your legs up to the wall and let your shoulders and head, rest lightly on the floor. It would be difficult at first but don’t give up. Make sure your legs are straight and relaxed. Soften your eyes and turn them down to look into your heart.
Stay in this pose anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Then slide the support to one side, lower your pelvis to the floor, and turn to the side. Stay on your side for a few breaths, and come up to sitting with an exhalation.
It helps with:
Anxiety
Arthritis
Digestive problems
Headaches and migraines
High and low blood pressure
Insomnia
Mild depression
Respiratory ailments
Varicose veins
Menstrual cramps
Menopause
Benefits:
Gently stretches the back legs, front torso, and the back of the neck
Relieves mild backache
Calms the mind
The above are examples of key postures which will help you with anxiety. The benefits of yoga are endless but it is essential that you attend lessons to perfect your body alignment to avoid injuries and to maximize the benefits before you embark on practising independent yoga postures.
To derive the most out of these and other postures which will benefit you highly, you can contact me for a comprehensive online session, where I will be able to focus on your practice with you.
Contact Pooja:
Yoga To Calm The Mind With Pooja
Pooja Doshi – Yoga & Zumba Practitioner
Chest opening stretches with Pooja
