Ten Yoga Poses for Tension Relief

The following are a list of poses that when performed in combination with mindfulness and breathing
techniques can draw your body out of the sympathetic (stress response) nervous system and into the
parasympathetic nervous system (relaxation response), thereby reducing the health risks associated with
chronic stress. Although these poses are considered therapeutic, always move into and out of each pose
slowly and mindfully to avoid injury. As you hold each pose focus on your breath. Notice the quality
of your breath (short, full, fast, slow, in your belly, in your chest). As you become more mindful of your
breath it will naturally slow down. Experiment with lengthening the exhale, or pausing between each
inhale and exhale. Try mindfully sending the breath to parts of your body that are holding tension and
as you exhale visualize that area “letting go”.

1) Supported Forward Bend: Releasing 2) Supported Ardha Uttanasana (Half

and relaxing the neck Forward Bend): Stretching the lower back,
Sit on the floor in front of a chair with your relaxing the upper back and neck. Stand in
legs crossed or straight, with enough blankets front of a table stacked with blankets (or use
on the seat so your forehead can rest on the the back of a high backed chair) high enough
blankets without strain. Rest your head on the so that when you bend over and rest your torso
chair seat (or blankets) with your arms under on them, you are forming a right angle. Extend
your forehead. If your legs are straight, pull the the spine and rest the arms straight forward or
chair over your legs towards your belly. Drop crossed, whichever is more comfortable. Drop
the chin towards the chest to gently stretch the the chin toward the chest and let the neck gen-
neck muscles. tly stretch. Breathe deeply and slowly.
 Ten Yoga Poses for Tension Relief, Continued

3) Adho Mukha Svanasana (Down- 4) Viparita Karani: Inverting the blood

ward Dog): Deeply stretching the back, flow and calming the mind
shoulders, and legs: Begin on hands and Since this pose increases blood flow to the
knees; as you exhale, turn the toes under and head, it is excellent in the beginning stage of
lift the sit bones, straightening the legs and a headache. But if you are having migraine
arms. Press your hands into the ground as the symptoms, indicating that the blood vessels
base of the spine moves diagonally up. The are dilated, and if the pain increases, skip this
weight of the head will create a stretch in the pose and rest in savasana. Do not do this pose
neck. Watch that the ribs do not sink down; lift if you have hiatal hernia, eye pressure, retinal
them to create a space between the shoulder problems, heart problems, or disc problems in
blades and to avoid jamming the spine. Come the neck, or during menstruation or pregnancy.
down on an exhalation.
Lying on the floor with a blanket or bolster
under your lower back, place your legs up
against the wall. Remember to drop the chin
down, creating length in the neck. Cover your
eyes with an eye bag or wrap. Some people
find headache relief in this pose when they
place a weight, such as a sand bag, on the
head, with one end on the forehead and the
other draped over the top of the head onto the
floor. This additional pressure helps to drop
the head further into the ground, releasing the
strain in the neck muscles.
 Ten Yoga Poses for Tension Relief, Continued

5) Savasana (Corpse Pose): Relaxing

completely Lie on your back on the floor with
6) Simple Seated Twist: Relieving strain in the
your eyes covered and a blanket under your
neck and head. You may put an additional back, rotating and stretching the neck
blanket under your knees. If you are pregnant, Sit on the chair, feet firmly on the ground, sitting
lie on the left side, extending the bottom leg bones pressing down, sides of the torso extended. On
and bending the top one, with a blanket under the exhalation, reach around and take your right arm
the top knee. Relax completely, breathe deep- to the back of the chair and your left hand to your
ly, and let go. right knee. Extend the back of your head up and make
sure the head is on the midline. Turn on the exhala
tion, breathing low into the belly, then into the chest.
Lastly, turn the head and eyes. Remember to keep the
shoulders down, the chest open, and the shoulder
blade tips in. Center the movement below the navel
and in the belly; relax the eyes and jaw.
 Ten Yoga Poses for Tension Relief, Continued

feet. Check the distribution of weight between

the right foot and the left. Move front, back, and
side-to-side on your feet to find the most bal-
anced stance. Make sure that the arch of each
foot is lifted, the toes spread apart. The place-
ment of your feet becomes the foundation of
your awareness of your whole body. Give your-
self enough time to explore and discover how
you are actually standing.
When you are ready to move on, firm and
straighten the legs. Bring the tailbone and pubic
bone towards each other, but do not suck in the
abdominals: Lift them. There should be space
between the wall and your lower back; do not
flatten the lumbar curve. With your “mind’s eye,”
go into the area below the navel, inside the belly,
in front of the sacrum. Locate this “center” point.
Extend the side torso up, lift the sternum with-
out sticking out the ribs, and drop the shoulders.
Take the tips of the shoulder blades and move
7) Tadasana (Mountain Pose): Discov- them into the torso, opening the chest. Let the
back of the head reach up. If the chin is raised,
ering alignment and finding the center
let it drop slightly, without tightening your throat;
Standing upright with awareness is one basic focus your eyes on the horizon. Make sure that
way to discover your own unique posture. It the shoulders and back of the head both touch
is difficult to correct something until you have the wall. Relax any tension in the face and neck.
found out what is really there. Use the wall This exercise may feel very constricted if your
to identify your alignment, and then practice
head is normally forward of your shoulders. Use
standing in the center of the room. the wall to inform you, so that you know the
Stand with your back to the wall, with your relationship of your head to your shoulders, but
feet together. If that is uncomfortable, separate try not to create more stress as you adjust your
the feet three or four inches. Plant the feet alignment.
firmly, feeling the ground with the soles of the
 Ten Yoga Poses for Tension Relief, Continued

8) Setu Bandha (Bridge Pose): Actively 9) Supported Child’s Pose: Resting the up-
opening the chest Lie down on your back per back and releasing the neck. Sit on a folded
with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. blanket with your knees bent and your feet under
Roll the shoulders under and reach the hands your buttocks. Separate your knees more than hip-
towards the feet, keeping the little finger side width apart and bring your feet together. Bring your
of the hands on the floor. On the exhalation, torso forward, resting it on a stair-stepped arrange-
raise the buttocks, lifting the sternum towards ment of blankets or a bolster, adjusted to a comfort-
the chin. Elongate the back of the neck with- able height. Pull the support into your belly. Drop
out pushing it into the floor; you want the your chin towards your chest as you rest your head.
neck to stretch, not flatten. Interlocking the You may want an additional blanket to support your
fingers on the ground under the back helps forehead, but continue to lengthen the neck. Drop-
to roll the shoulder blades under and is an ping the chin to the chest provides a gentle stretch
interesting variation. Relax the facial muscles to the back of the neck, right below the skull. The
and jaw, breathe deeply, and come down on arms should rest on the floor, palms down, elbows
an exhalation. This pose is not appropriate bent, hands near the head.
during the second half of pregnancy, or if you
have been diagnosed with spondylolysis or
spondylolisthesis.
Ten Yoga Poses for Tension Relief, Continued

10) Supta Baddha Konasana: Passively

opening the chest, releasing tension
from the neck This pose is particularly
soothing if you spend a lot of time sitting
at a computer or if you feel the first signs
of a headache. It opens the chest, and with
the head resting, encourages the neck to
relax. It is best done with the eyes closed
and covered with an eye bag, a wrap, or a
blanket. Lie back on a bolster or a narrow
stack of three blankets, with your head sup-
ported on an additional blanket. The lower
edge of the blankets should come directly
into contact with the buttocks to support
the lower back. The chin should drop down
so that there is an elongation of the neck
muscles, particularly the ones at the base of
the skull. Bring the soles of the feet together
and spread the knees apart, supported by an
additional blanket roll, or if this is uncom-
fortable, straighten the legs and support the
knees with a blanket roll. Experiment with
the height of the support to find the most
comfortable position for your body. Breathe
deeply and slowly, relaxing the forehead,
eyes, jaw, and tongue. To come out of the
pose, put the soles of the feet on the ground
with the knees bent and slowly roll to the
side. Do not do this pose if you have been
diagnosed with spondylolysis or spondy-
lolisthesis.

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