Yoga For Stress Relief – Best Yoga Asanas.

Today’s modern life has become a hectic & fast paced with many kinds of stressors like peer pressure, social expectations, loss of close one, addiction of drugs etc. It has become the curse of a modern 21st century and is a silent killer in the modern world. Stress affects us psychologically & physically. Stress can damage different parts of the human body from muscles from tissues to organs and blood vessels.

Negative Effects of Stress on Your Body:

• Headache
• Back & Neck Pain
• Fatigue
• High Blood Pressure
• Heart Problem
• Digestive Problem
• Weak Immune system
• Diabetes
• Ulcer
• Hair loss

Negative Effects of Stress on Your Mood:

• Anxiety & Fear
• Restlessness
• Lack of Motivation
• Irritability or Anger
• Depression or Sadness

Negative Effects of Stress on Your Mood:

• Over or under eating
• Drug or Alcohol Abuse
• Conflict with Others
• Social Withdrawal

Yoga for Stress Relief

Yoga is the most Recognized form of Exercise, Stretching, Aerobic and Meditation. The definition of yoga is “to yoke or join together”  it integrates the mind and body focusing on balance posture, deep breathing, stretching, and relaxation. Yoga evolved from of the Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist religious traditions in India.

Yoga is an ancient art that is defined as the union of the soul with God. It is “a path of personal spiritual development that utilizes meditation to bring enlightenment, self-realization, and, ultimately, the attainment of God and bliss”. Yoga alters stress response and person’s attitude, towards stress along with improving self-confidence, increasing one’s sense of well-being, and creating a feeling of relaxation and calmness.

Here we would like to give insight into the Yoga practices that can be performed alone or in combination with one another to provide release from normal, day to day stress, as well as chronic, built up the tension.

Yoga Asanas For Stress Relief

1. Shava Asana

Shava Asana means the ‘pose of the corpse’. It is the primary position used in yoga for relaxation, one in which we attempt to literally mimic the ‘lifless state ’ by completely letting go of all the conscious tensions.

Instructions:

1. Draw knees in towards the chest. Wrap arms around knees
2. Imagine your body as a sponge that sops up stress and tension
3. Squeeze body into a tight ball – Tense every muscle in body – squeezing tension, stress, and any negativity out of your sponge
4. Release legs and arms
5. Let legs come out wide – toes dropping out to side
6. Arms out wide – palms facing up
7. Breath: Let go of any control over breath or body

   2. Vajrasana

Vajrasana is the best asana of Stress & Tension and Anxiety it makes the body exceptionally strong and healthy. Vajra means Diamond in Sanskrit. During this asana, feel the sensations in the body as you move them. Do the Movement slowly and in a relaxed manner. Inhale and exhale slowly. While drawing the abdominal region inwards and expanding the chest, focus the attention on these body parts. The way the muscles move must be felt. Relax before, during and after the yoga posture.

Instructions:
1. With knees, ankles and big toes touching the ground, take a kneeling position.
2. One should sit on the heels and place palms on the knees

3. The Spine should be erect and breath should be deep.
4. Draw the abdominal region inside and expand the chest

3. Bhujangasana

Bhujangasana means ‘the cobra pose’ is one of the asana help in relieving stress.

Instructions

1. The pose starts from a downward facing position with hands flat on
   the floor below the shoulders.
2. The spine is lengthened and the buttocks firm as the head and chest are slowly lifted.
3. The elbows stay close to the body and the eyes look up.
4. The neck is kept neutral

  4. Padmasana

Padmasana means ‘the lotus pose’ it is one of the best asanas for the relaxation & deep meditation.

Instructions
1. Sit on the ground by spreading the legs forward.
2. Place the right foot on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh.
3. Place the hands on the knee joints.
4. Keep the body, back and head erect.
5. Eyes should be closed.
6. One can do Pranayama in this asana

 5.Pranayama (Breathing Yoga)
Pranayama, the breathing exercise, may rejuvenate you, to carry on your work with extra energy.

Chandra Pranayama

This Pranayama is particularly effective for those who suffer from of stress, anxiety, hypertension & other stress related condition.

Instructions
1. Put your right thumb on your right nostril.
2. Deeply inhale air using your left nostril.
3. Close your left nostril with your right index finger and hold breath for few seconds.
4. Exhale through left nostril.
5. Do it similarly with left nostril closing right nostril.
6. Now inhale through left nostril, hold breath and exhale through right nostril and do the other way

Yoga combines several techniques to combat stress. Yoga provides a combination of benefits such as breathing exercises,
stretching exercises, fitness program, and meditation practice and guided meditations all in one technique. There are various Yoga retreats programs are available on stress management. You can join also join good Yoga Retreats for combating stress.