Stressed and stiff? 4 yoga moves for instant relief

It's the year end, and while jingle bells might be sounding all around, for many it means an intensified pressure of reaching corporate goals, buying impressive gifts and managing to find some joy amidst all this. While you hang on by a thread mentally, your body also deals with physical stress and tension which becomes visible in the form of sleepless nights, stiff joints and a restless brain. What to do in this case? Well, yoga is the gaga of stress relief. Some simple moves executed with patience and perfection can turn your day around within minutes. It slowly brings down the stress and transitions the body into a state of calmness and regulation. YogaRenew instructor Kate Wall shared her four favourite yoga poses that help ease the stiffness and stress with Fit&Well, here they are.

Sit on a folded blanket with your back supported by a firm pillow lengthwise. Bring the soles of your feet into contact while opening your knees. Now, bend your back and neck till you are completely relying on the wall of pillows. Let your arms rest by your side with palms facing upwards. Now close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly. Hold the pose for eight to ten minutes. Along with relieving tension, this pose sends you into a deep rest and also supports digestion.
Also known as the butterfly pose, this move is popular in yoga classes such as Hatha, Vinyasa and Yin. A 2017 study published in Pain Medicine, found that women who attended twice-weekly yoga classes that featured 12 yoga postures including the butterfly pose, reduced the severity of their pelvic pain and improved their emotional well-being and sexual function.

This is one pose most of us probably do every morning. Kneel on the floor with your feet touching each other and your knees wide apart. Place a heavy blanket in front of you and bend your upper body to rest on it. Let your arms rest on the side and breathe deeply for two to seven minutes. As per Wall, the pose helps in emotional grounding, soothes the nervous system and provides a sense of safety. Also known as Balasana, child's pose helped lower blood pressure and resting heart rate in 100 medical students who practised it for five minutes every day for ninety days, as per a 2017 National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology study.

Lie on your back near a wall with a folded blanket or cushiony pillow supporting your hips. Now shift your hips closer to the wall such that you can place your legs up the wall straight. Keep your arms by your side and just breathe for five to ten minutes. It relieves the tension from the legs, promotes circulation and eases fatigue. As per a 2017 study published in Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine, elevating the legs helps with lymphatic drainage and fluid buildup to reduce leg swelling.

Lie down on the floor with your back straight and knees bent such that your feet are flat on the floor. Now, place a cushion between your knees and move your hips to the side such that both your legs are bent and placed on the floor to your left. Keep your arms to your side and breathe mindfully for three to five minutes. Then change the side. This is an ideal pose for spinal rotation and easing physical and mental tension. Also known as Supta Matsyendrana, this pose is a part of Iyengar yoga and decreases pain and increases functional ability in patients with spinal pain, as per a 2015 study published in the International Journal of Yoga.

As per a 2023 study published in Stress & Health, a single session of yoga is effective in reducing acute stress reactivity in adults and can be recommended for stress management. Try out these scientifically-backed yoga poses in order to relieve your physical stiffness and mental stress quickly.

The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new medication or treatment and before changing your diet or supplement regimen.