6 Yoga Poses to Relax Your Mind at Home

Yoga is an amazing form of movement!

It’s exercise that gets your muscles working, but it encourages more fluid motion and controlled breathing. Best of all, it’s both a killer workout and incredibly relaxing.

If you’re feeling the stress after a long day of work, it’s always worth spending a few minutes doing Yoga to calm your mind and loosen up tense, knotted muscles and stiff joints. Here are a few of our favorite Yoga poses to help you relax both mentally and physically:

Forward Bend – The Forward Bend is an incredibly easy pose to perform, but one that works wonders loosening up all the posterior chain muscles along your shoulders, spine, and legs.

To do the Forward Bend, simply stand with your feet together, reach your arms up toward the sky, and slowly bend forward at the waist. Go down as far as you can, then cross your arms in front of your forehead and just let your upper body hang. Hold the pose for 30-60 seconds, swaying gently and focusing on controlling your breathing.

This pose will relax your body, loosening up stiff muscles, and will send blood rushing to your head to calm your mind.

Child’s Pose – This makes both a great opener and closer to any Yoga workout! It helps to elongate your upper back and loosen up your shoulders, which is where you likely hold a lot of tension after a stressful day.

To do the Child’s Pose, sit with your knees tucked beneath you, and bend forward at the waist with your arms extended. Lower until your hands are flat on the mat, and touch your face or forehead to the mat as well. Stay in that pose for 30-60 seconds, controlling your breathing all the while. When you sit up, you’ll feel calmer in mind and more relaxed in body.

This is an amazing pose to loosen up your back and glutes, which can grow tight if you spend all day sitting in a chair.

Sphinx Pose – This is an amazing abdominal stretch that will work on loosening up your chest, stretching out your neck, and improving your shoulder posture. It’s also incredibly relaxing!

To perform the Sphinx Pose, lie flat on your stomach on your Yoga mat. Place your elbows beneath your shoulders with your hands flat on the mat in front of you, and push your upper body up until your chest is fully lifted off the mat. Keep your eyes fixed forward and lower your chin a fraction to keep your upper spine neutral. Take slow, deep breaths as you hold the pose for 30-60 seconds.

You’ll feel a bit of tension in your spinal muscles, too, helping to strengthen the muscles that keep you supported all day long.

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Legs Up the Wall Pose – If you feel a lot of tension in your lower back and legs (glutes, hamstrings, and calves), this is the relaxing pose for you. The fact that you’re lying flat on your back with your legs elevated will not only help to calm your body, but bring an influx of oxygenated blood to your head that will soothe your mind.

To perform the Legs Up the Wall Pose, lie flat on your back with your butt against a wall and your legs extended straight overhead. Rest your heels against the wall and let it bear all the weight and pressure of your legs. You can use a Yoga block to elevate your tailbone and extend your legs even higher, increasing the lower back stretch and increasing blood flow to your head. Hold this for 2-5 minutes to really feel the relaxation wash over you.

Rabbit Pose – Rabbit Pose is a very curious combination of a forward bend, a shoulder stretch, and a curling of your upper body that mimics that soothing posture of the fetal position. Pair it with controlled breathing, and you’ve got a wonderfully relaxing pose.

To perform the Rabbit Pose, start on your knees with your fingers interlaced behind your back. Slowly bend forward and place the top of your head on the ground, while simultaneously lifting your entwined hands as high into the air behind your back as you can manage. Hold for a few seconds, then return to your starting position. Repeat this sequence 3-5 times, and let the unusually calming motion relax your mind and body.

Corpse Pose – If you ever feel yourself getting too stressed, there’s nothing more relaxing than lying on your back in Corpse Pose. Practice remaining perfectly still and controlling your breathing, using one of the Yoga breathing patterns [1] that will balance your mind and body.

These Yoga poses are more relaxation than workout, but that’s what makes them perfect to help you find your calm inner center after an intense day of work. Incorporate them into your evening activities, and you’ll see that you get to sleep so much easier thanks to the mental relaxation!

Resources

[1] https://www.himalayanyogainstitute.com/9-yogic-breathing-practices-mind-body-balance-healing/

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