5 Yoga Poses for Anxiety & Mindfulness

Yoga poses for anxiety help in relaxing and calming your mind. Finding a means to refocus your thoughts might be challenging when worrying takes over your mind. But worry not! People who struggle with anxiety or despair have reported incredible benefits from yoga.

Everyone is aware of yoga's positive effects on both mental and physical health. Findings from a recent study indicated that yoga helps lessen the effects of generalized anxiety disorder. In fact, symptoms of the illness may improve with the use of breathing exercises, meditation, and relaxation techniques.

Best Yoga Poses for Anxiety

The majority of us experience stress on a daily basis. Finding techniques to reduce stress and keep it from consuming your life is crucial because it can vary in intensity from mild to intolerable.

Here are several yoga poses for anxiety and calming your mind that you can include in your routine:

1) Child’s Pose

This is one of the best yoga poses for anxiety. In this pose, breathing extends to your back ribs, relieving neck stress while your forehead rests on the mat, giving your back muscles a gentle internal massage.

Yoga helps in calming mind and reducing anxiety. (Image via pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)

Here’s how to perform the child’s pose:

Keep your knees as wide as the mat when you sit on your heels.
Walk forward with your hands and drop your upper body.
Put your forehead on the carpet once you are at a comfortable distance and unwind.
Hold the position for 20-30 seconds.

2) Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose

This pose helps the legs feel instantly refreshed, especially if you've been standing or walking around all day. It's also my go-to stance when I have trouble falling asleep. It has many advantages due to the inversion, including increased lymph flow and improved blood circulation.

Here’s how to perform the legs-up-the-wall pose:

Lie on your back with your hip and thigh close to the wall.
Then, bend your knees, move your legs up the wall
Move your bottom close to the wall.
You might place your palms on your lower tummy or extend your arms out to the sides, away from your body just a little.
Hold the position for 30-40 seconds.

3) Reclined Twist

This is one of the best yoga poses for anxiety that relieves a lot of tension from your neck, shoulders, and hips. Since the floor is supporting you, you may also rest and take long breaths, which will help to calm your thoughts.

Yoga practice helps in calming mind. (Image via Pexels/ Max Nikhil Thimmayya)

Here’s how to perform a reclined twist:

While lying on your back with your legs straight, bring your right knee in and wrap your arms around it.
Put your right arm out to the side and place it on the ground.
Keeping your left hand on your right knee, inhale.
As you exhale, bring your right knee around to the left side of your body and place your left hand on top of it.
Rotate your head to the right and away from the knee.

4) Upward-Facing Dog Pose

The upward-facing dog pose is one of the most effective yoga poses for anxiety and despair. This pose helps to release any trapped emotions in your chest by opening your heart. Additionally, it helps to control breathing, which clears your heart and head.

Here's how to do an upward-facing dog pose:

Lay down on your stomach.
Your toes should be pointed down and the balls of your feet should remain facing upward.
To raise your upper body and gently curve your spine, press firmly into your palms.
While maintaining your shoulders and back, lift your chest and head.
Stretch your entire body out.

5) Head-to-Knee Forward Bend

This is one of the nicest yoga poses for anxiety. It relieves headaches, exhaustion, and even sleeplessness by calming the brain.

Head-to-knee pose helps calming the brain. (Image via Pexels/ Jonathan Borba)

Here's how to do a head-to-knee forward bend:

Sit upright with your legs outstretched.
Bend your left leg, bringing the sole of your foot to the inside of your right thigh.
As you breathe in, place both palms on the right leg.
Take a breath and fold forward, turning toward the extended leg.
Then, switch to the opposite side and hold for another 5–6 breaths.

Conclusion

According to research, there are several yoga poses for anxiety. These poses help improve general health and well-being, including boosting immunity, reducing food cravings, and even reducing stress because most practices involve meditation, which brings your thoughts and feelings into consciousness.

Understanding how to focus and calm the mind is essential for de-stressing.