You too, are you a little stressed? A little tense right now? It is true that winter is long (and the sun is rare), it plays on morale! And with the job, the daily life to manage, the family, etc … one tends to a little too forget oneself and to be carried away by the stress and the nervousness!
The best way to learn something is to reading book through the book we learn many information. So, the lot of books are there to guide How to do yoga correctly. To buy a one of the best book for yoga help in stress click this link.
Do not panic ! There are no magic formulas, but again Yoga can help 🙂 In this article, Sarah, our certified Vinyasa Yoga teacher, shows you how to evacuate this stress with some simple postures🙂
Anxiety, insomnia, various tensions and physical pains due to stress … so many evils that multiply with the evolution of our modern lifestyles. It is not surprising that yoga has become one of the most frequently recommended practices for managing and reducing stress.
Indeed, this meditation in motion helps us to better face everyday events. Binding the breath (pranayama) to the movement (asanas) and introducing the meditation, the yoga pushes us to find the calm and the relaxation in the constraint imposed by the physical limits of the body in the postures and thus makes it possible to approach the life with positivity and armed with a new force.
There is also a parallel between the creation of space in the body that promotes a sense of space on the psychological level, stimulates self-confidence and invites greater freedom and self-transcendence.
1 – THE POSTURE OF THE CHILD (BALASANA)
☞ HOW TO DO IT?
Sit on your knees on your carpet, feet parallel with the ischions resting on the heels. Inhale and, on the exhale, tilt the bust forward and fully release the upper body on your thighs.
Your arms are lying in front of you, hands extended and flat on the carpet, palms down.
☞ WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
This restorative posture relieves tension in the back, shoulders and chest and gently relaxes the hips, thighs and ankles. It regulates the nervous and lymphatic systems, helps relieve stress and anxiety and encourages easy and regular breathing.
2 – THE POSTURE OF THE PUPPY STRETCHED (UTTANA SHISHOSANA)
☞ HOW TO DO IT?
From Balasana, slide the extended arms forward while peeling off the pelvis and moving forward until the thighs are upright and the back arched.
Place your chin on the floor while keeping your arms stretched out on the floor in front of you, opening your chest, stretching the armpits towards your elbows and bringing the triceps together.
Push your hips back, ischions up and stretch the spine.
Return to balasana for a few breaths.
☞ WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
The posture of the elongated puppy can stretch the shoulders and improve the flexibility of the spine. It strengthens the arms and upper back, gives energy and invigorates the body. Finally it calms the mind and helps relieve tension chronic stress.
NB: to make the posture more comfortable, we can place a cushion / blanket under the forehead and a block or bolster under the chest.
3 – THE POSTURE OF THE HALF BRIDGE (SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA)
☞ HOW TO DO IT?
Lie on your back with your arms on each side of your body. Bend your knees and lay your feet parallel to the width of your hips.
Then press your feet into the ground (if possible, raising your heels) while keeping your thighs parallel and pushing the pelvis upwards by wrapping coccyx to the shoulders and pushing the sacrum towards the knees.
Intertwine the fingers behind the back, press the arms in the ground, keeping the shoulders away from the ears and, if possible, tighten the shoulders and raise the top of the chest towards the chin to open the heart. Tuck your belly and chin and stretch your neck.
☞ WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
This posture stretches the spine, abdominals, hips, back and chest, strengthens the thighs and glutes, promotes relaxation and relieves anxiety, fatigue, headaches and backaches. It improves the maintenance and self-confidence.
NB: To facilitate the posture, one can also place a block below the sacrum.
4 – THE POSTURE OF THE CAMEL (USTRASANA)
☞ HOW TO DO IT?
Start kneeling on your carpet, with your legs parallel to the width of your hips and your thighs perpendicular to the floor.
Slightly turn the thighs inward while squeezing the shins and the top of the feet into the ground and relaxing the lower back (pubis forward and sacrum down).
Place your hands on your glutes with your fingers pointing down and squeeze your elbows to lift your chest while keeping your shoulders away from your ears. Enter your stomach without blocking your breathing. Continue to advance the hips and open the chest by accenting the back bending, looking higher and higher without breaking the neck and when you can, grab the heels with your hands and energize the posture by pushing on the arms.
Step back on an inspiration by pushing your hands against the pelvis, chest upwards and stretching your neck to the maximum.
☞ WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
The camel posture relaxes the throat and chest (areas that can be very tense in case of stress or fear) and increases the breathing capacity by expanding the chest.
It tones and softens the neck, spine, hips and thigh muscles, strengthens the abdominal muscles, and creates space between the pelvis and rib cage, leaving more room for organs to function better, stimulates thyroid gland and digestive functions.
This posture makes it possible to work on apprehension, confidence and letting go, especially if a certain tension or a feeling of discomfort occur. It should be approached slowly and gradually.
NB: Ustrasana requires a healthy back. It is best to avoid it in cases of exaggerated lordosis, hernia, recent belly operation, arthritis or osteoarthritis of the areas requested, as well as sciatica.
5 – THE STORK POSTURE (UTTANASANA)
☞ HOW TO DO IT?
From the mountain posture (tadasana), standing tight legs, parallel feet flat to the ground with the weight of the body well distributed over the entire foot (from the outer edge of the heel to the big toe), face face and elongated neck.
Inhale, raising your arms and stretching the spine and the exhale, tilt your back forward and drop the bust on your legs, stretching your belly towards the knees.
Place your fingers on the floor next to your feet (or, if you can not touch the floor with your hands, place them on a block in front of you).
Gradually extend the legs by tilting the pelvis and lifting the ischions upwards, while turning the thighs inwards, contracting and mounting the kneecaps. Continue stretching the back by opening the chest and stretching the lower abdomen and energize the arms by pulling the elbows backwards, stretching the armpits to the elbows and away the shoulders from the ears.
☞ WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Useful in case of stress, fatigue, anxiety and insomnia, this posture helps relieve headaches thanks to the blood acceleration it causes in the brain. It smoothly stretches the back muscles and softens the spine while strengthening the abdominals. It stimulates the liver, kidneys and improves digestion and intestinal transit.
BONUS: BREATHING EXERCISE (PRANAYAMA)
Nadi shodana
This alternating breathing exercise has a calming effect because it allows to stay very focused on the breath that crosses us by paying attention to the nostrils. This pranayama also allows energy work to restore balance and limit the flow of air into and out of the body.
Sitting (cross-legged or in a chair) the right hand is placed in front of the face, index and middle finger at the root of the nose, thumb and ring opening and closing alternately right nostril and left nostril.
During the practice of alternating breathing, the right nostril is closed with the thumb of the right hand. Inhale from the left nostril. At the end of the inspiration, release the right nostril, lifting your thumb. Close the left nostril with the ring finger. Exhale from the right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril. Exhale through the left nostril after closing the right nostril with your thumb and releasing the left nostril by lifting the ring finger. And so on…
