Fitness + Health & Lifestyle

3 Yoga Poses Guaranteed to De-Stress, Relax & Ground You

27 February 2017
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Yoga is one of the best ways to de-stress, relax and loosen up after a long day. When I can’t get to a studio for a full hour class, I love to practice at home with just a few simple poses. The lovely ladies from Yoga 213 – one of my fave yoga studios in Melbourne – are our resident Yogi Experts and today, are sharing their three favourite poses for relaxing and grounding! 

 

When our routine is interrupted and we fail to dedicate enough time to ourselves we can start to feel stressed and overwhelmed. If your mind is full and you body is tired, you wont be able to completely enjoy the amazing moments that happen at this time of the year.

 

Thankfully, yoga has got your back. Sometimes we need yoga to create energy, heat, and fire within the body and other times we need it to slow down and reconnect with the breath. The yoga poses below help to bring stability and ease to the body and the mind. If you find yourself feeling all over the place this month, roll out your mat and give these poses a go. When you find the mind wanders or random thoughts start to come up, let your awareness return to your feet, legs, and hips, the foundation of the pose keeping you safe and steady.

 

Childs pose – Balasana
Restorative, introverted, and calming.

Childs pose is like giving your self a big hug. Sit on your shins and bring your knees wide. Lower your chest over your thighs and reach your arms out in front of you. Press your palms down into the mat. Sink your hips down to your heels. You can put a block or pillow under your sitting bones if that feels better. Close your eyes and focus on each breath in and out. Notice how you feel after a minute of just breathing in this pose. If it feels good, stay longer.

 

Warrior 2 – Virabhadrasana 2 (pictured)
Strong, stable, and connected.

Warrior 2 reminds us to create stability in our foundations and reconnect with the earth below. From downward dog, step the right foot between the hands. Plant the back heel down with the knife-edge of the foot parallel to the back edge of the mat. Bend into your right knee and bring your right thigh parallel to the mat. Make sure your shoulders are directly over your hips and extend your arms out away from the body in a T position. Press down into the feet and energetically draw the inner thighs together to lift from the ground up. Stay for five to 10 breaths and then swap sides.

 

Yogi Squat – Malasana
Open, intense and grounding.

Hate it or love it, yogi squat is amazing for your ankles, hips, and lower back so we recommend doing it daily. Stand up and bring your feet as wide as the mat with the toes turning out slightly. Bend into your knees and lower your bum to the ground so that it’s just lifted off the mat. You can come onto the balls of your feet or place a block under your hips if it’s too intense to have the heels down. Bring your hands to prayer at your heart and lift your chest up. Use the press of the elbows against the knees to open the hips and then press the knees back into the elbows to keep the legs active. Plant your feet (or balls of the feet) firmly into the mat and imagine your tailbone drawing down to the earth below. Close your eyes and stay for 10 long breaths.

 

 

Written by Taylor Hunter, originally for Yoga 213.

Yoga 213 is Australia’s first Hip Hop Yoga studio. They combine music and yoga to create a fresh experience like no other. Their studio is a welcoming home for any Yogi wanting to experience the happiness of Yoga. Their website shares stories on yoga, health, travel, happiness, music, and interesting things they’ve found across the world.

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