Yoga for Anxiety: Try These 10 Poses to Reduce Depression

Anxiety and depression can be difficult to understand, but understanding these conditions can help us better manage them. It is essential to recognise the signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression, including sadness, hopelessness, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, restlessness or irritability.

Identifying above mentioned common emotions can help people seek treatment that could improve their mental health. Talking to a professional about any concerns may provide valuable insight into managing the condition more effectively.

Refer to the page difference between anxiety and depression to know more about anxiety and depression based on their symptoms, causes, and treatment methods.

If you're looking for a way to cope with inner turmoil, you might want to try yoga for anxiety disorder and stress. Yoga is an ancient exercise that involves physical, mental, and emotional exercises.

Yoga can be used to improve your mental health by helping you relax, reduce stress, and improve your mood.

1. Increased mindfulness: Yoga helps to cultivate mindfulness, allowing individuals to become more aware of their thoughts and feelings in the present moment.
   This can help them better manage stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues that may arise. 
2. Improved self-esteem and confidence: Practicing yoga can help individuals become more confident in themselves and their abilities by developing a sense of self-acceptance through movement and breathing exercises. 
3. Reduced stress levels: Research has found that regular yoga reduces cortisol levels (the hormone responsible for stress), improving overall moods and better mental health outcomes such as reduced anxiety or depression symptoms. 
4. Better sleep quality: Studies have shown that participating in yoga regularly can improve sleep quality due to its calming effects on the body and mind, helping people drift off into a peaceful slumber without tossing or turning throughout the night. 
5. Improved concentration and memory: Regularly practising yoga is known to increase concentration levels by improving focus on tasks at hand.
   Meanwhile, it also aids memory retention as it stimulates neural pathways associated with cognitive processes such as decision-making or problem-solving skillset development over time.

Physiological Benefits of Yoga: How Does it Help?

Practising yoga is also beneficial physiologically. Here are some of the physiological benefits of yoga.

1. Improved flexibility: Yoga to reduce anxiety helps to increase the range of motion and flexibility of joints, muscles, and tendons, which is beneficial for athletes as well as everyday activities. 
2. Improved strength: With regular practice, yoga can help build strength in your arms, legs, core, and other parts of the body. This improved muscular strength will also help support your joints, reducing the risk of injury from everyday activities or sports.
3. Enhanced balance and posture: Focusing on proper alignment during poses can improve balance and posture, supporting a healthy spine and lowering the risk of back pain or injury.
4. Cardiovascular health: The breath work practised in yoga brings more oxygen into the cells allowing for better functioning of the heart muscle by improving circulation throughout the body.
5. Respiratory health: Breathwork done during yoga helps to open up airways making breathing easier while strengthening respiration-related muscles such as those found in our abdomen, chest, rib cage, etc.
6. Mental clarity and focus: Increased mental clarity comes with regular practice due to an ability to focus on one thing at a time without becoming distracted easily by external stimuli reducing stress levels overall; this focuses attention toward important tasks throughout daily life.

If you're struggling with anxiety or depression, yoga can be a great way to help ease your symptoms. Several different yoga poses can help to calm the mind and body and reduce stress and anxiety.

Here are some of the best yoga for anxiety and depression relief and find out which type of yoga is best for anxiety:

Balasana (Child's Pose)

Child's Pose is a great yoga for anxiety that helps relieve stress and tension. It helps to stretch out the back, neck and hips while calming the mind and body. Taking slow, deep breaths while in this pose can help reduce anxiety or racing thoughts caused by stress. 

This restorative posture also allows for gentle spine stretching, which increases flexibility in the lower back muscles.

Child's Pose is an easy way to find moments of relaxation throughout your day that will leave you feeling grounded, refreshed and ready to take on whatever life throws at you!

How to do:

1. Begin in a kneeling position with your knees spread apart at a hip-width distance and your feet together behind you. 
2. Place your arms alongside your body with palms facing up towards the sky. 
3. Lower yourself slowly forward until your forehead touches the ground or comes close to it if that's not possible for you due to flexibility constraints; ensure that your hips stay above the ankles throughout this process so as not to strain them unnecessarily.  
4. You may choose to keep both arms extended outwards on either side of you or bring them close together in front of you depending upon how comfortable it feels - whichever way works best for you!  
5. Remain here in this posture while taking several deep breaths focusing on relaxing each part of your body slowly from head to toe.
   When ready, come out of the pose slowly, reversing all these steps back into starting position, i,e., kneel again with legs wider apart than before.
6. Finally, take a few moments just be aware of how wonderful it feels after doing Child Pose!

Benefits: 

1. Promotes relaxation: Child's Pose helps relax the body and mind, reducing stress levels by stretching tight muscles along the back, neck, arms and legs. 
2. Relief from pain and fatigue: Resting in child’s pose for a few minutes can help reduce muscular aches or pains caused by sitting for long periods or exercising too vigorously. 
3. Improves digestion: Positioning your torso during this move encourages better digestion by allowing optimal blood flow throughout your abdomen, which aids in proper digestive functioning.  
4. Improves circulation: This relaxing position helps increase the flow of oxygenated blood throughout the entire body, enhancing overall health and wellness while simultaneously calming your mind with its soothing effects on both body and mind alike!

Ustrasana (Camel Pose)

Camel Pose, or Ustrasana in Sanskrit, is an effective yoga pose to relieve stress. This backbend helps open the chest and shoulders while stretching the front body muscles.

It can be done sitting on your heels or with additional support from a folded blanket or blocks. Roll your shoulders back and down as you lift your sternum towards the ceiling and arch backwards. 

Camel Pose helps reduce fatigue and anxiety levels and release any tension held in our neck & upper back area - making it an ideal pose for relieving stress!

Engage your core for balance and stability as you draw your hands toward the soles of your feet for a deeper stretch. Keep the position for 5 to 10 breaths before slowly moving out of it.

How To Do:

1. Begin on your knees with your legs hip-width apart and your toes tucked under. Place your hands behind you on either side of the sacrum, palms facing down. 
2. Inhale and arch back, lifting up through the chest while keeping chin slightly tucked in towards the chest. Push your hips forward as you open up through the chest and shoulders area. 
3. Lift one hand off the mat at a time, reaching arms out until they reach full extension in line with the torso (avoid pushing too far).
   Press hands into the lower back if possible or rest them wherever feels most comfortable – the neck or upper back area works too!  
4. Hold here for several breaths before releasing the pose by slowly lowering the torso and head down onto the thighs/knees again.
   Relax any tension from the face & jaw before repeating the sequence on another side if desired!

Benefits:

1. Calming effect: Camel pose can help reduce anxiety by calming the mind and body through its grounding nature.
   This pose helps stretch the spine and chest, improving breathing capacity, and reducing stress levels.  
2. Increases blood circulation: It also increases blood circulation throughout the body, which helps to flush out toxins while bringing oxygen-rich nutrients to all parts of your system, helping you relax and feel calmer. 
3. Emotional balance: The backbend action of the camel pose opens up your heart centre, allowing for greater emotional balance and self-love, which is essential for managing feelings of anxiousness or panic attacks from occurring.

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Corpse Pose, or Savasana in yoga, is a great yoga to relieve anxiety and its symptoms. 

How To Do:

1. Lie down on your back in a quiet space with no distractions. 
2. Place your feet hip-width apart and let your arms rest by your sides at shoulder-width apart – palms facing up towards the sky if possible. 
3. Close your eyes and relax into the ground beneath you; focus on releasing tension from your muscles one by one as you inhale and exhale deeply for several minutes, from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes.  
4. Allow yourself to drift away from thought and enjoy this moment of relaxation 
5. When ready, slowly open your eyes before gently rolling over onto one side and coming out of savasana when needed - allowing time between poses allows us to reflect on our practice and growth as yogis!

Benefits:

Corpse pose is among the best yoga for anxiety and depression. Practising corpse pose regularly can also be beneficial:

1. Relaxation: This pose helps you relax physically and mentally by soothing your muscles and calming your mind. It allows you to take deep breaths, which can help with further relaxation. 
2. Mentally detaching: By disconnecting from stressful thoughts, this pose allows a person to focus on their breath rather than worry or ruminate over their worries. In doing so, they can gain clarity and perspective, which may be lost during stress or anxiety. 
3. Introspection: By focusing inwardly while in corpse pose, one can better understand how they feel emotionally and mentally, allowing them to recognise any underlying issues before taking steps towards dealing with them effectively.  
4. Improves sleep quality: Improved sleep quality resulting from practising corpse pose is beneficial for reducing high levels of stress/anxiety-related hormones such as cortisol.
   Cortisol, if left unchecked, contributes significantly to heightened feelings of anxiousness. 
5. Reduced stress response: When remaining in this position long enough (10 to 20 minutes), one will notice reductions in heart rate variability.
   This indicates that a lowered response to stressful stimulus has been achieved due largely in part due to its relaxing nature.

Bitilasana Marjaryasana (Cat/Cow Pose)

Cat/cow pose can be practised daily as part of your regular yoga practice or any time throughout the day when overwhelmed by life's challenges.

How To Do:

1. Begin on your hands and knees, with your wrists directly below your shoulders and your knees below your hips. 
2. Inhale deeply as you raise your head and arch your back downwards into the "cow" position.  
3. Exhale as you tuck your chin towards your chest, round your spine toward the ceiling like an angry cat, pressing shoulder blades together for stability. 
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for 5 to 10 times, synchronising breath with movement for optimal relaxation of muscles in the back. 
5. Finish by bringing yourself to a neutral tabletop position on all fours before gently transitioning out of the pose into another or resting in a child's pose if needed.

Benefits:

1. Releases tension: It releases tension in the spine and shoulders, allowing for a better flow of energy throughout the entire body and improving relaxation.
   This posture can help reduce anxiety since it encourages deep breathing, which helps to soothe the nervous system. 
2. Strengthen core muscles: The movement from cat pose to cow pose also strengthens your core muscles, helping you build strength and balance within your body that can reduce any physical or emotional pain associated with anxiety disorders. 
3. Sense of control: Cat/cow pose gives people a sense of control over their bodies again, enabling them to take back some power during times when they feel like they have none.
   Something compelling for those who suffer from severe bouts of anxiousness due to things such as PTSD or other mental health issues related to traumatic experiences in life.  

Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

Triangle Pose is an effective yoga pose, try incorporating this pose into your practice today to help reduce tension in both body and mind!

How To Do:

1. Begin standing with feet hip-width apart. Step your left foot back about 3 to 4 feet to align both feet. Turn your right foot slightly inward at a 90-degree angle, and make sure your left leg is also turned out at a 45-degree angle. 
2. Extend both arms wide with palms facing down toward the ground; keep them parallel to each other as if you were making an upside-down ‘V’ shape in front of you.
3. As you inhale deeply, bend your torso to the right side while keeping both arms extended outwards; allow gravity to deepen this pose until you feel an intense stretch across all areas mentioned above.
4. Hold here for 5 to 10 breaths before coming back up on an exhale by pressing through your right heel as you return to the standing position; switch sides, then repeat!

Benefits:

1. Improved emotional balance: The triangle pose helps to improve mental clarity and focus by bringing a sense of calm to the mind and body.
   It also helps to reduce stress hormones such as cortisol which can cause emotional distress when levels are too high. 
2. Strengthens core muscles: Practicing the triangle pose regularly strengthens core muscles which in turn help support good posture throughout your day, helping you feel more confident in yourself and less stressed about what may come ahead. 
3. Boosts energy levels: Triangle poses stimulate the digestive system, helping to release excess energy stored in our bodies for long periods without us even being aware of them! 
4. Improves flexibility: Holding this position stretches different parts of your body, especially around hip flexors which often become tight with prolonged sitting positions at work.
   This causes discomfort both physically and mentally, leading towards increased stress on the body.

Vrksasana (Tree Pose)

Tree pose is an excellent yoga pose to help manage stress. Practising this pose regularly can increase circulation throughout the body while improving posture and concentration. It is perfect for relieving stress during hectic days!

How To Do:

1. Begin in the mountain pose with your feet together and arms at your sides. 
2. Shift your weight onto one foot as you bring the sole of the other foot to rest on your inner thigh or calf muscle if possible – whichever feels most comfortable for you.  
3. Point both hips forward as best as you can before bringing both hands into the prayer position above your head or extending them out to either side for a deeper stretch. 
4. Keep your gaze focused gently ahead of you or close your eyes if desired to help maintain balance 
5. Hold this posture for several breaths before returning to the mountain pose, then repeat on the opposite leg.
   If ever feeling unbalanced, keep focusing on a steady point ahead and release from the tree pose until feeling more stable again.
   Practice regularly for increased strength, stability and flexibility within body and mind!

Benefits:

1. Relieve muscle tension: Tree pose helps reduce anxiety-related muscle tension. This pose gently stretches the tight and contracted muscles due to stress, allowing them to relax and become more flexible. 
2. Increase blood circulation: It increases blood flow throughout the body, helping it to regulate itself in response to stressful conditions better.
   This pose also strengthens the legs and core while improving balance, helping you remain grounded even if your worries spiral out of control. 
3. Calming nervous system: Practicing tree pose stimulates the calming parasympathetic nervous system, leading to a sense of ease and physical relaxation in the body.
   This helps manage anxiety symptoms such as rapid heart rate or shallow breathing patterns common with panic disorders. 

Uttana Shishosana (Extended Puppy Pose)

Extended Puppy Pose is an excellent yoga for anxiety and depression.

How To Do:

1. Start by kneeling on your hands and knees with your wrists positioned directly below your shoulders, hips in line with your knees, and feet hip-width apart. 
2. Slowly walk forward with your hands until you find a comfortable position that allows an extended spinal stretch but does not strain or pull any muscles or joints. 
3. Keep the top of your head moving towards the floor as you walk forwards allowing for a natural arching in the upper back region of the spine while maintaining length throughout your neck area.  
4. Hold this pose for up to one minute before slowly walking back into the child’s pose or another resting posture, such as the corpse pose (savasana). 
5. Make sure when coming out of this posture that you move slowly and mindfully so as not to injure yourself due to any sudden movements or jerks caused by momentum built up while holding this posture for more extended periods.

Benefits:

1. Stress relief: This pose helps to relax the body and mind by gently stretching out tight muscles, which helps reduce stress and tension levels. It also increases circulation throughout the body, further helping with relaxation. 
2. Improved focus and concentration: By calming down the nerves and decreasing stress levels, extended puppy pose can help people focus better on tasks at hand.
   It also helps them remain more attentive for longer periods without feeling overwhelmed or anxious about their performance. 
3. Increased energy levels: Regularly practising this particular yoga posture stimulates centres within your body.
   This provides increased energy and improved vitality throughout your day-to-day life activities and while engaging in physical activity or sports-related endeavours.
4. Promotes relaxation: Doing an extended puppy pose helps promote relaxation by stimulating different parts of the brain that control emotions such as fear or anger.
   This happens while promoting a sense of calmness in both mind and body with each deep breath you take during this exercise.  

Virasana (Hero Pose)

Hero pose is one of the ideal groundings, and restorative yoga poses for anxiety and alleviating stress. You can do it both seated or standing, and it works to open the hips, strengthen the thighs, and stabilize the knees.

How To Do:

1. Begin by kneeling on a mat with your legs together and feet pointing backwards. 
2. Lower your buttocks onto your heels or as far as you comfortably can go while keeping your knees hip-width apart; this will help to keep the spine long during the pose.  
3. Place your hands on each knee with palms facing up; if needed, you can use blocks or blankets under them for support. 
4. Lengthen through the spine before breathing in deeply, then exhale and fold forward at the hips until your forehead touches the floor (or supported block/blanket). Keep arms alongside body and shoulders relaxed down away from ears throughout this posture.
5. Remain in position for anywhere between 1 to 5 minutes, depending upon comfort level and breath slowly and deeply into areas where tension is felt. 
6. To come out of the hero pose, push yourself gently up using your hands while inhaling until returning to a seated position. 
7. Relax here for a few breaths before continuing with the rest of the practice.

Benefits:

1. Relaxation: Hero Pose provides an easy way to relax your body and mind, allowing your muscles to loosen up as you focus on your breath. This can help ease feelings of anxiousness while helping you stay in the present moment. 
2. Improved posture: A strong posture helps create a sense of strength and confidence, which improves our moods naturally by releasing endorphins into our systems.
   Practising hero pose regularly will help keep the spine engaged properly, making it easier to maintain good posture throughout the day. 
3. Increased blood circulation: In this pose, we gently compress certain areas of our bodies, such as hips and thighs, encouraging better circulation.
   This increased blood flow leads to improved oxygen supply which results in calmer nerves that are less prone to feeling anxious or overwhelmed easily. 
4. Strengthened core muscles: Hero pose requires us to engage various core muscles, including abdominals, glutes, adductors, etc., thus leading towards greater muscle stability over time which can help improve balance too! 

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose)

Reclining bound angle pose, or Supta Baddha Konasana, is one of the perfect yoga poses for anxiety.

How to Do:

1. Begin by sitting up with your legs extended straight out before you.
2. Bend your knees, bringing them towards your chest while keeping your feet together.
3. Place the soles of your feet together so the heels are close to or touching each other.
4. Reach through the space between your thighs with both hands, wrapping thumbs around big toes if possible.
5. Gently pull down on your toes as you press the inner edges of your feet into the ground; use support from arms or elbows if needed.
6. Relax shoulders away from ears as much as possible while allowing the back rib cage area to expand downward.
7. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths before coming out of the pose using an exhale.

Benefits:

1. Improves digestion: This pose relaxes the lower back muscles, relieves fatigue and stress, improves digestion, reduces headaches and neck pain, increases circulation to vital organs including the heart and lungs.
   It also calms an overactive mind by decreasing mental chatter and worries which are associated with anxiety disorders. 
2. Relieves tension: The gentle stretching of Supta Baddha Konasana releases tension in both body and mind, which helps reduce stress levels that lead to anxiety attacks and panic disorder symptoms such as dizziness and nausea.
3. Brings down cortisol levels: Practicing this pose regularly brings down cortisol levels, consequently resulting in better sleep cycles and normalising daytime energy needed for performing important tasks without any added strain on your body.
   This leads to up decreased overall sense of fear/anxiety while tackling everyday challenges.

Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose)

Butterfly Pose is a gentle yoga pose.

How To Do:

1. Begin seated on your mat with both legs extended before you. 
2. Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall outward. Ensure that your feet remain close to your groin area to maintain proper alignment throughout the pose. 
3. Bring hands to rest on each thigh or interlace them behind the back for support if needed. Keep the spine tall throughout this pose by engaging abdominal muscles and lengthening through the crown of the head towards the ceiling.  
4. After several breaths, continue moving deeper into the pose by pressing down gently on the thighs allowing the hips closer to the floor while keeping the chest lifted towards the ceiling. Hold for 30 seconds or longer if desired. 
5. To come out of the pose, slowly straighten your ten legs one at a time returning to your seat position With control and grace.

Benefits:

1. Promotes deep breathing: This asana encourages deep breathing, which calms the mind by releasing endorphins such as serotonin and dopamine into your brain, two neurotransmitters credited with elevating moods and reducing overall levels of stress. 
2. Improves circulation: Another benefit of butterfly pose is improving circulation throughout your body.
   This includes organs like your heart, lungs, and intestines, which are especially helpful for those suffering from depression or anxiety-related digestive issues like nausea or indigestion.   
3. Improves digestion: Further, this pose stimulates digestion while aiding elimination processes, which contribute significantly towards improved mental health by balancing hormones and promoting nutrient absorption essential for proper brain functioning.

When it comes to finding relief from anxiety and depression, there are many different routes that you can take.

While medication and therapy are often necessary and helpful, some people must supplement their treatment with other methods, such as yoga and meditation.

You can find yoga for stress and anxiety relief, but pairing them with the right meditation technique is important to get the most benefit. Here are some of the best meditation techniques to accompany popular yoga poses for anxiety and depression relief:

1. Mindful meditation: This technique focuses on the breath and allows thoughts to come in and out of awareness without judgment or attachment.
   It is an excellent way to help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, as it helps build self-awareness and insight into our thought patterns.
   Combined with yoga poses, it can create a more mindful practice that will have long-lasting effects on the mind. 
2. Guided imagery meditation: This meditation technique uses visualisation techniques, such as imagining yourself in peaceful landscapes, or visualising calming colours, to bring a sense of relaxation and calmness to your body and mind.
   It can be done before or after performing yoga poses to reduce stress levels caused by anxiety or depression symptoms.
3. Body scanning: This type of meditation involves focusing attention on different parts of the body while breathing deeply and slowly throughout each scan session.
   Doing this regularly has been shown to help reduce overall tension throughout the body, which can relieve both physical discomforts caused by physical sensations related to anxiety/depression.
4. Loving-kindness meditation: This form of meditation is based upon sending positive energy outwards towards oneself first, then sending love outwards towards others one cares about, then extending this further outwards.
   It eventually encompasses all sentient beings regardless if they are friends or strangers alike! 
5. Mantra meditation: In mantra meditation, one focuses on repeating a particular phrase over again, either silently within their head or aloud, depending on preference.
   It's important not to focus too much attention on how many times you've repeated it already instead just focus solely onto what you're saying itself! 

Yoga is an ancient practice that can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression when combined with proper meditation techniques.

By pairing the right meditation with the suitable yoga poses for anxiety and depression, you can optimise its benefits and experience greater levels of calmness and peace in mind and body.

Practising an instrument is a great way to learn new skills, but practising safely and effectively is important to get the most out of your playing. Here are some tips on how to do just that: 

1. Consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise routine, especially if you have any medical concerns. This is especially important if you're pregnant, have high blood pressure, or suffer from anxiety or depression.
2. Start slowly and focus on your breath. As you progress, you can increase the difficulty of the poses and the length of your practice.
3. Listen to your body, and don't push yourself too hard. Yoga should be a relaxing and enjoyable experience, so back off if you feel pain or discomfort.
4. Ensure your practice space is safe and clean, with no tripping hazards or slippery surfaces. Practice in a room with good ventilation to avoid stuffiness.
5. Choose comfortable clothing that won't restrict your movement. Loose-fitting yoga pants or leggings and a tank top or t-shirt are ideal. Avoid wearing jeans or other tight clothing as it will make moving into some positions difficult.

Anxiety and depression can be exhausting, but plenty of non-yoga activities can help reduce their symptoms. From lifestyle changes to counselling, these activities may relieve stress and anxiety. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Exercise: An active lifestyle benefits mental health. So, if you're feeling down, try getting some exercise. Brisk walking, running, or bike riding can help lift your mood.
2. Connect with nature: Spend time outside in nature and breathe the fresh air. Research shows that more time spent in nature can decrease stress and improve moods.
3. Spend time with friends and family: Social support is crucial for mental health. Stay connected with loved ones, and reach out if you feel isolated or lonely.
4. Relaxation techniques: Several relaxation techniques can help reduce anxiety and promote calmness. Try deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided meditation.
5. Art and music: Creative outlets like painting, drawing, or playing music can greatly express emotions. Plus, it's fun!
6. Go for a swim: Swimming is a fantastic low-impact exercise that can do wonders for physical and mental health. It also provides a sense of freedom you don't get from other forms of exercise.

Practising yoga poses for anxiety and depression relief can be an incredibly beneficial self-care routine for anyone struggling with these mental illnesses. Whether starting or practising yoga for years, focusing on your breath and physical posture can lead to greater self-awareness and understanding of your emotions. With just a few basic yoga poses for anxiety, you can feel more relaxed and in control of your thoughts. So don't hesitate - these yoga poses may be what you need to get back on track!

HexaHealth experts are here to help you understand the best yoga poses for reducing anxiety and stress. We will connect you with a specialist who can provide personalised guidance and support so that you can enjoy natural relief from mental health concerns like worry, tension, and fear. Our experts have years of experience using yoga to improve physical and mental well-being, so they know how to tailor these techniques to your needs.