If you experience stress and anxiety regularly, you may not know what to do. While there are many activities that can help, yoga is an especially useful one. The ancient practice has become popular in the United States in recent years and is considered an effective way to reduce stress. Here’s a guide to how yoga lowers stress levels and a few poses you can do at home.

How Does Yoga Help With Anxiety?

Yoga can help train your body and mind to work with stress and anxiety and boost your overall health. One of the main principles of yoga is that the body and mind are connected. If stress is affecting you mentally, it will also affect you physically. Yoga helps balance your mind and body, reducing your anxiety.

By practicing yoga on a regular basis, you can also lower your chronic daytime stress hormone levels. Yoga does this by boosting your counter-stress response system called the parasympathetic nervous system.

What Are Some Yoga Poses That Relieve Anxiety?

Child’s Pose

Child’s Pose helps relieve tension in the shoulders, back, and neck, which is where many people hold their stress. To do this pose, get on your hands and knees with your toes touching. Breathe out as you bow forward and let your torso rest on your thighs with your forehead on the mat. Stay in the pose for as long as needed and then use your hands to walk your torso upright.

Legs Up the Wall Pose

Legs Up the Wall is excellent for relieving stress and reducing back pain. Roll out a mat halfway and put it directly next to a wall. Sit close to the wall and bring your legs up onto the wall while resting your head and shoulders on the mat. Relax and remain in this pose for five to 10 minutes.

If you’re suffering from anxiety, turn to the professionals at Counseling Solutions of Alaska in Anchorage. These mental health professionals are trained to help individuals deal with everything from stress and depression to grief and loss, and they are always sensitive to their clients’ needs. For more information about their services, call (907)-644-8044 or visit their website.