With so many yoga options available, I’m often asked which style is best. The answer is varied, but when it comes to unwinding the mind, stretching, and relaxing your nervous system, nothing beats a Yin Yoga sequence.
These five quick stress reducing postures will provide maximum benefit in a relatively short amount of time. In my new book, Yogalosophy For Inner Strength: 12 Weeks to Heal Your Heart and Embrace Joy, I provide numerous actions that will take you off the mat and move you through transitional times. Make sure to listen to your body while doing these, and if a pose doesn’t feel right, modify it.
If yoga doesn’t suit you at all, there are other ways to unwind, like taking magnesium, walking barefoot in nature, or listening to relaxing music.
Child’s Pose
Sit with your knees on the floor, hips back on your heels. With feet together, draw your knees wide apart, fold forward, and place your forehead onto the mat. Your arms can be down by your sides with palms flipped upward, or outstretched in front of you with palms flat down on the mat. Allow your belly and breath to soften and fill the space. Feel your weight sinking down, breathe deeply, and allow your jaw to go slack as you bring your breath in to fill your entire back and ribs, all the way down to your kidneys. Settle here for 3 minutes.
Sphinx Pose
Move onto your belly, placing your elbows beneath your shoulders. (Or if your back is tight, you may extend your palms farther forward to get a milder backbend — find what works for you.) Lift your chest so you’re in a mini backbend. Press your shoulders away from your ears, and let go. After about 90 seconds, lower your torso down and rest your head to one side.
Supported Shoulder Stand
You’ll need a yoga brick for a supported shoulder stand. Lie on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet on the floor, parallel to each other. Press your feet down to peel your spine off the mat, and slide the block underneath your lower back so that it’s supporting your sacrum, just underneath your tailbone. Play around with whatever position feels stable. From here, raise your legs in the air with bent knees. Once you feel stable, straighten them. Remain here for 3 minutes, allowing the blood flow to reverse from this supported position. Slowly lower down by bending your knees, then place your feet on the mat, pressing down to raise your hips up. Remove the block and then slowly, one vertebra at a time, lower down. Hug your knees and rock gently from side to side.
Reclining Twist
Still in supine position, draw your right knee into your chest and extend your left leg along the floor. Extend your right arm out in line with your shoulder, palm facing up, and shift your hips slightly to the right. Place your left hand on the outside of your right knee and inhale deeply. As you exhale, drop your right knee over to the left and turn your head to the right. Try to keep both shoulder blades on the mat as you breathe. Remain here for 3 minutes and then switch sides, repeating on the opposite side.
Savasana
With legs extended and palms flipped upward, allow your feet to flop open to the sides and take a deep breath in. On the exhale, press your shoulders away from your ears and take up as much space with your breath as you can. This is your final resting pose; you can remain here anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes.
Source: everydayhealth.com
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