Yoga for Anxiety: 12 Poses to Find Calm Through Movement and Breath
Table of Contents
- How Yoga Supports Anxiety Relief
- 12 Yoga Poses for Anxiety Relief
- Enhancing Your Practice
- Does Yoga Really Help with Anxiety?
- Takeaway
Anxiety can feel overwhelming, but yoga offers a powerful way to ease the mind, release tension in the body, and create a sense of inner peace. By focusing on gentle movement, mindful breathing, and deep relaxation, yoga helps you reconnect with the present moment—quieting the mental chatter that often fuels anxiety.
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Here’s a carefully curated guide to yoga poses designed to soothe anxiety and cultivate calm, along with practical tips to enhance your practice.
How Yoga Supports Anxiety Relief
Yoga’s magic lies in its ability to harmonize the mind and body. Anxiety often manifests as both mental and physical tension, and yoga may help address both.
Mind-Body Connection
The deliberate focus on movement and breath can help ground you in the present, interrupting cycles of overthinking.
Stress Reduction
Regular yoga practice has been shown to lower cortisol levels, the stress hormone that often spikes during anxious moments.
Nervous System Reset
Yoga practices such as breathing exercises and mindfulness practices may help activate the parasympathetic nervous system which can help promote relaxation and reduce the body’s flight or fight response. Somatic practices such as yoga poses, can help regulate the nervous system by promoting interoceptive awareness and help with emotional regulation.
12 Yoga Poses for Anxiety Relief
This collection of poses offers a mix of restorative postures and stretches. When you need to reset, practice these individually or as a sequence.
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Why It Helps: This foundational resting pose may help soothe the nervous system and encourage deep breathing.
How to Do It: Kneel on the floor and sink your hips back towards your heels. Stretch your arms forward, letting your torso rest on your thighs. Breathe slowly and deeply in the pose and notice your upper back stretching and relaxing.
Reclined Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
Why It Helps: This pose can help release tension in the hips. Muscle tension can be a reflex reaction to stress and chronic stress can lead to a constant state of guardedness which can result in feelings like “tightness” in the hips. Its reclining variation provides additional support and comfort.
How to Do It: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross one ankle over the opposite thigh. Lift the bottom leg and gently pull it toward your chest, holding the back of your thigh. Stay in this position for 3 to 5 breaths and then switch sides.
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Why It Helps: This grounding pose can encourage mindfulness and presence, helping you feel stable and centered. It prioritizes breathing deeply and feeling present in your body.
How to Do It: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Press evenly through your feet, lengthen your spine, and relax your shoulders. Draw your shoulder blades in towards your spine. Bring your arms by your sides with your palms facing forward. Stay in this pose for 5 to 7 breath cycles, or longer if you feel like you’re relaxing more with each breath.
Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
Why It Helps: A grounding balance pose that may help you stay present while shifting your focus away from racing thoughts.
How to Do It: Begin in Mountain Pose, then shift your weight onto one foot. Rest the sole of your other foot on your ankle, calf, or thigh—avoiding the knee. Bring your palms together at your chest or extend them overhead.
Expert Tip: Fix your gaze on a steady point to help with balance. If your hips feel tight, start by placing your foot on your calf, and, as your flexibility improves, work toward positioning it on your thigh.
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
Why It Helps: This pose stretches your body and promotes deep breathing, relieving tension in the neck and back.
How to Do It: Step your feet wide apart. Turn one foot out, hinge at the hip, and extend your arm toward your shin or a block. Lift your other arm toward the ceiling. Ensure the distance between your feet feels stable and allows for a comfortable stretch without strain.
Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
Why It Helps: This restorative inversion can help calm the nervous system, lower heart rate, and relieve fatigue.
How to Do It: Sit sideways against a wall, then swing your legs up as you lie back. Adjust so your hips are as close to the wall as comfortable.
Expert Tip: Use a pillow or a yoga bolster to stretch your back and relax even more.
Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)
Why It Helps: The gentle movement between these two poses helps release tension in the spine, synchronize breath with motion, and promote relaxation.
How to Do It: Start on hands and knees in a tabletop position. Inhale as you drop your belly, lift your tailbone, and look upward (Cow Pose). Exhale as you round your back, tuck your chin, and draw your belly toward your spine (Cat Pose). Alternate between these poses for 5 to 7 breath cycles.
Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)
Why It Helps: A mix of a Child’s Pose and Downward Dog, this stretch opens the chest and elongates the spine, relieving stored tension.
How to Do It: Start on hands and knees. Walk your hands forward and lower your chest toward the mat, keeping your hips above your knees. Focus on your breathing and reaching the ground with your chest.
Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
Why It Helps: This deeply relaxing, restorative pose releases tension in the hips and promotes a sense of surrender.
How to Do It: Lie on your back with the soles of your feet together and your knees falling open. Place cushions under your back for support.
Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)
Why It Helps: This playful pose releases tension in the hips and lower back while promoting a sense of ease and comfort.
How to Do It: Lie on your back and bend your knees toward your chest. Grab the outside edges of your feet with your hands, keeping your ankles above your knees. Gently rock side-to-side if it feels good.
Side-Lying Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
Why It Helps: Twists gently massage the internal organs, promote spinal flexibility, and encourage deep breathing.
How to Do It: Lie on your back and hug your knees to your chest. Lower your knees to one side while keeping your shoulders grounded. Extend your arms out in a T-shape and turn your head in the opposite direction of your knees.
Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Why It Helps: Savasana can help calm the mind and integrate the benefits of your practice. It’s the perfect way to end a sequence.
How to Do It: Lie flat on your back with your arms by your sides, palms facing up. Allow your body to relax completely, letting your feet fall naturally outward. You can also try Savasana on your stomach or on your side—experiment which what helps you feel comfortable and relaxed.
To achieve full relaxation, spend 5 to 15 minutes in this pose without moving your body.
Expert Tip: If you have trouble relaxing your body, focus on different parts of it and relax them one by one, starting from the top of your head and finishing with your toes.
Enhancing Your Practice
Yoga for anxiety isn’t just about physical postures. To deepen its calming effects:
Focus on Breathing
Try diaphragmatic breathing or alternate nostril breathing to steady your heart rate.
Use Props
Cushions, blocks, and blankets provide support, making poses more accessible and relaxing.
Set an Intention
Before starting, take a moment to focus on what you hope to achieve from your practice—whether it’s feeling grounded, calm, or more present.
Does Yoga Really Help with Anxiety?
Yes, and it’s backed by science. Studies show that regular yoga practice lowers cortisol levels, improves sleep, and enhances emotional resilience. However, it’s important to view yoga as a complement to other treatments—not a replacement for therapy or medication if needed.
It’s also normal to feel some emotions surface during practice. If this happens, acknowledge them without judgment and continue with gentler poses. If yoga ever feels overwhelming, pause and consult a yoga instructor or healthcare professional for guidance.
Takeaway
Yoga offers a safe, gentle way to manage anxiety by helping you reconnect with your breath, body, and the present moment. Start with a few poses that feel right for you, and gradually build your practice. With consistency and mindfulness, yoga can become a powerful tool for cultivating calm in a chaotic world.
Ready to roll out your mat? Begin today with just one pose, and see how even a few mindful breaths can transform your day.
