Yoga Poses to Reduce Stress and Anger by Caroline Klebl
Yoga is known to reduce stress and cultivate a content state of mind. Anger is a fiery emotion, which can be calmed and resolved by yoga practice. Yoga is a meditative practice, which emphasizes directing your awareness to the posture itself, the breath as well as the looking place in each posture. This meditative element of yoga practice clears the mind of thoughts. In the yoga sutras of Patanjali, yoga is defined as the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. The meditative aspect of yoga practice, is said to improved analytical thinking and cultivates intuition, bliss and a sense of the true self. Yoga practice purifies and strengthens the mind, reduces negative emotions and increases happiness.
Placing your awareness on the breath in yoga asanas helps to increase the meditative experience, thereby facilitating stress reduction and anger management. Mantra, such as OM, recitation can also help to relieve stress and anger.
Uttanasana – standing forward bend.
Place your feet together, breathing through the nose, inhale lift your rib cage and exhale place your hands or fingertips on the floor. If possible, keep your legs straight. Relax your neck and let your head drop towards the floor. Keep your eyes soft and look towards the tip of your nose. Continue to breathe deeply through the nose for 10-15 breaths. Relax the muscles in your face. Exhale, please your hands on your hips, inhale lift the head and torso back up to standing.
Adho Mukha Shvanasana – downward facing dog posture
Place the palms of your hands on the floor shoulder distance apart and knees on the floor hip width apart. Exhale, curl your toes under and raise your hips up, straighten your legs and reach your hips away from your hands and your heels down to the floor. Look toward your navel and breathe deeply through the nose for 10 to 15 breaths. Then lower your knees down to the floor.
Balasana – Child’s pose
From your hands and knees, point your toes back, place your hips on your heels and rest your forehead on the floor. Relax the eyes, muscles in your neck and muscles in your face. Breathe deeply through the nose for 10 to 15 breaths.
These postures relax the nervous system, increase blood flow to the brain and relax the neck and face, where stress and anger can be held in the body. By relaxing the body in these yoga postures, stress and anger will be relieved.
If you’d like to develop a regular yoga practice and experience all the interesting benefits yoga has to offer, your welcome to attend one of Source of Yoga’s upcoming courses. To view a list of upcoming courses please visit
sourceofyoga.com/schedule
