Top Yoga Poses For Stress

Yoga is one of the best ways to relax and recharge both physically and mentally to help us regain balance throughout our week, something we here at Luk are huge advocates of.

So as we prepare to emerge from winter and blossom into spring, we've asked Sydney's most loved yogi, Sasha Hawley (also founder of 'Yoga By The Sea') to share with us her top yoga poses for stress that can be done anytime, anywhere to release tension, ease the mind, stretch the muscles and rejuvenate skin.

Recovery Pose

Also known as 'chid's pose', this is a self-nurturing position which calms the central nervous system to help relieve stress and tension. It also gently stretches the lower back, hips, thighs, knees, and ankles and increases blood circulation to your head which help to easy headaches.

Recovery or 'child's' pose

Forward Bend

Standing forward bend allows the blood to reach your head and circulate there to calm the mind and relieve stress whilst opening up the lower back to release tension. This pose will also stretch the hamstrings, calves, hips, thighs and knee and helps to reduces fatigue, anxiety and headaches.

Standing Forward Bend

Pigeon

Whilst giving your glutes, groin and hamstrings a deep stretch, this pose releases pinched nerves in the hips and deep tensions in sacral and nerve belt around hips and stimulates the internal organs.

Half Pigeon

Backbend

Backbends like bridge or wheel release the lower back and decompresses the spine to relax the entire body. This pose is extremely beneficial for those who sit long hours in front of the desk or computer and hunch over the desk all day as it relieves tension or stress and decreases ailments caused by it.

Backbend variation

And of course the ultimate stress buster is meditation.

Meditation in yoga is generally done in corpse pose where you lie flat on the ground, palms facing up, legs apart and the whole body is relaxed. Meditation in corpse pose relaxes the central nervous system, calms the mind and relieves stress all in one. It can also be used to improve sleep and reduce headaches and fatigue.

On a deeper level, yoga is a state of being in which all apparent opposites, distinctions and states are reconciled. From this state of union we live without inner conflict and are able to embrace our whole being from the surface to the depths, encompassing both our transient limitations and our perennial limitlessness. We honour and live from, by, and within our true nature. This is the key to a life of peace and contentment.

Love Sasha xx

So next time you feel the tension rising, take a deep breath and hit the mat. If you need a little help, Yoga By the Sea runs at 5 different locations with over 20 classes running each week. For more information on their schedule, workshops and retreats, head to their website.