Your life moves in stages.  Some stages feel easier to move through than others.  That is why creating a practice that not only nourishes you during the fun stages, but also helps you grow through the challenging ones is key.

Stress is a normal part of everyday life, but can turn into anxiety when you start to feel overwhelmed or confused on what you need to do next. If you don’t move through it, your resistance can grow so great that you avoid the situation and ultimately stay stuck. Which can lead to depression or at least boredom with your life.

Have you ever experienced that cycle before?  It sucks, but this doesn’t need to be the way your story is written.

It is normal to feel stress and anxiety as you start a growth cycle.  You can’t avoid stress, but you can move through it.  So to support you I want to share with you the top 10 yoga poses to add to your regular practice to ease tension from your body, calm your mind and open up more creativity and joy in your life.

1. Ragdoll

Ragdoll is a great pose to add at the beginning of your practice to stretch the back of your legs, open up your lower back and decompress your spine.  Doing this pose regularly will help uplift your mood calm your mind and slow your breath downas well as help you unlock your untapped creativity so you can see new solutions and possibilities that were blocked before.

To Get Into Ragdoll Pose

1. Ground your feet on your mat.  Wiggle your toes to make sure you aren’t putting too much weight forward and soften your knees by lightly bending them.
2. Fold forward from the hips keeping your spine neutral.
3. Allow your upper body to soften and your arms to hang at the sides of your feet or clasp your elbows.

Then just breathe.  If your back is tight you can also grab a block or a chair to rest your arms on.  Then focus on taking slow breaths into your body and feel your ribcage expand on the inhales and your body release on the exhales.  As you hold this pose your body will start to release.  This pose is a great lesson in patience.  Practice and all is coming.

2. Downward Dog

Downdog is an active pose that helps you stretch your entire back body as you soften and open your front body.  It is also very soothing for your nervous system and can improve your brain function.  Over time this pose will be one that feels luxurious to rest in anytime you need an energy boost, to clear your head or see a new perspective.

To Get Into Downdog Pose

1. From tabletop position, plant your hand on the mat emphasising grounding through the base of your first finger and thumb.
2. Then tuck your toes under and send your hips back behind you so your legs are straight and your spine long.
3. Check in to make sure your chest is open and your shoulders are drawing down your back not lifting up toward your ears.

Start holding this pose for 3 breaths working your way up to 10 breaths. If it is hard to hold the pose you can also put blocks or use a chair under your hands to lessen the angle until your body starts to open more.  Then just breathe here.  You will discover how to move your body into a position that feels supported and you can rest it.  The more you practice this pose the more confidence you will have in staying strong in any situation.

3. Tree Pose

Tree pose will help you find the true meaning of balance in your life.  When you start to feel overwhelmed or things feel out of control, drop into tree pose.  Balance isn’t stable but a give and take that ebb and flow together to give an appearance of stability.  The more you practice this pose the more stable you will look from the outside, but on the inside you can still feel the small movements in your body as you find or hold your footing.

To Get Into Tree Pose

1.  Ground your right foot on the mat and lift your left foot to rest on your calf or inner thigh.  If you need more stability you can always do this next to a wall or keep your left toes on the floor making a kick stand with your left foot.
2. Lift your chest and bring your hands to heart center and breathe.
3. To ebb and flow inside this pose, ground your left heel into your right leg, and press your right leg into your left heel as you ground your pelvis, open your heart and relax your shoulders.

It is normal for this pose to vary from day to day.  Just like the weather you can’t control the winds of your life.  On particularly windy days, show yourself some love and laugh as you move in and out of this pose.  A tree in a hurricane doesn’t fight against the wind, it bends with it, otherwise it would break.  Do this pose on both sides to find your ground and support on both legs.

4. Half-moon Pose against the wall

This is a great pose to strengthen your standing leg and open your body.  Doing this pose against the wall also gives you extra support so you can feel your body open as you hold the pose.

To Get Into Half-moon Pose against the wall

1. Ground your right foot on the mat and shift your weight forward to bring your right arm to a block or the floor.
2. Then work on opening your left hip up towards the ceiling with your left heel, glute and shoulder against the wall.
3. Work on opening your body so you feel grounded and lifted in this pose by keeping your right foot grounded and your right knee soft so you can reach your left hand up towards the ceiling and press into the wall behind your and your right hand into the block or floor to open your chest.  

This pose will calm your mind and cultivate a feeling of balance even during challenging times.  It also expands the energy in your energetic bodies giving you a feeling of spaciousness and support and will help you release stress and tension from your body.  Make sure to also do this pose on your left side to strenghten both sides of your body.

5. Pigeon Pose

Stress, fear, tension and trauma are stored in the hips.  Pigeon pose is a great pose to release these sensations from your hips and strengthen your pelvic floor.

How To Get Into Pigeon Pose

1. From downdog pose, bring your right knee behind your right wrist working your right ankle as close as you can to your left wrist and bring your right hip down to your mat or to a blanket.
2. Breathe through any sensations that come up making sure you soften your upper body by relaxing your shoulders, lengthening your spine and softening your eyes and jaw to help tension leave your body.
3. To add more inward focus to this pose you can begin to walk your arms forward down to the floor where you can rest your arms or elbows on a block or the floor.

This variation is one of my favorites anytime I notice that I am holding onto something in my body that I want to release, but it can bring up uncomfortable feelings or sensations so be gentle with yourself.  The more you practice this pose it will teach you how to sit with uncomfortable situations and you move through them.   Also do this pose on the left side as both of your sides will respond to stress differently.

 6. Seated Forward Fold

This pose is great to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue that will calm your mind and soothes your nerves when you start to feel overwhelmed and need to catch your breath.

How To Get Into a Seated Forward Fold

1. Ground your pelvic floor on your mat and sit up with your spine long making sure your head is resting over your shoulders and your shoulders are resting over the hip.
2. Take an inhale and begin walking your arms forward until you can’t keep your spine in a neutral position.
3. Then rest your arms or head on a bolster and breathe.

Resting here will help your focus go inward which will calm your nervous system, quiet your mind and harmonize your body by stimulating your internal organs.  Once this happens you will be able to tap into your internal wisdom and discover new possibilities.

7. Supported Bridge Pose

Just add a block under your hips and let gravity relax your pelvic floor.  It is amazing how much a little support can help your body relax and feel grounded.

How To Get Into Supported Bridge Pose

1. Lay down on your mat making sure your shoulders and pelvic floor are grounded and bring the soles of your feet on the mat and move them as close to your glutes as you can.
2. Then lift your hips off the mat and place a block on the small or middle position and place it under your hips, resting your sacrum on the block.
3. Keep your shoulders grounded on the mat making sure you are not putting weight onto your neck and open your chest as you drop your chin toward your chest.  If your shoulders are lifting off the mat, lower the block or place a blanket until your shoulders until they feel supported.

Using the block will help release tension you are storing in your sacrum and decrease heaviness in your abdomen that will promote deep relaxation as you let your past go.

8. Shoulder Stand

Inversions are a great way to get a new perspective on things.  In shoulder stand you are flipping your body 180 degrees which helps bring the blood flow back to your heart and shifts your gaze to your heart.  This will help you connect to inner wisdom and hear your intuition.

How To Get Into Shoulder Stand

1. Lay down on your mat and come into bridge pose.
2. Place your hands behind your back and lift one leg off the floor then the other leg and roll up onto your shoulders and send your legs back over your head.  If your shoulders are tight (most people are) make sure you place a blanket or two under your shoulders while keeping your head on the floor and pressure off of your neck.
3. Walk your hand up your back working your hips forward and sending the balls of your feet toward the ceiling.

Stay here as long as it is comfortable and allow your body to melt into this pose.  Being here will increase the circulation throughout your body, relax your mind and quiet your nervous system and decrease stress related fatigue.  To come out, roll into Plow Pose then roll over to your side and rest for a few minutes.

 9. Plow Pose

The thing about anxiety is it causes your mind to race.  This pose is great to calm your brain down and increases blood flow to your brain giving you mental clarity.

How To Get Into Plow Pose

1. From shoulder stand drop your knees to your chest and bring your toes toward the floor.
2. Keep your shoulders ground on the mat and your weight off your neck as you lengthen your spine and legs.
3. Then let your body relax as you reverse the flow in your body down to the floor.

If it is difficult to bring your toes all the way to the floor, bring a chair or a stool behind you to rest them on.  Having something to ground your feet as you are inverted will help you feel grounded and connected throughout your body as your mind slows down.

10. Legs Up The Wall Pose

Legs up is a great pose to rest in anytime you need to take a breather.  Flipping your legs up will help soothe your swollen or cramped feet and legs and improve circulation to your pelvic floor by reversing your blood flow in your legs and draining lymphatic fluid from your legs.

How To Get Into Legs Up The Wall Pose

1. Sit with your right hip next to the wall.
2. Lay back and flip your legs up the wall keeping your hips as close to the wall as possible.  If this feels uncomfortable or if you want extra support you can also place a blanket under your hips on the floor.
3. Stay there for 5 to 20 minutes letting your hips rest into the floor or your blanket.

This pose shows you how less can be more, you just need to rest and let gravity do the work for you.  After holding this pose for a while you will find a moment where your hips will release.  All you need to do is get into position and be patient.