24 May 5 Yoga Poses to De-stress After a Long Day (With 15-min Audio Class 🎧)
Are you feeling overwhelmed or exhausted after a hectic day?
Try these 5 simple but powerful poses. They’ll help you rapidly relax, unwind and get back to feeling good.
You’ll start with poses that allow you to move, sway and wiggle – so you can shake off tiredness and feelings of lethargy or stagnation.
Then sink into a big hip opener. This will give you time to sit with your emotions and gradually release pent-up tension and stress from your day.
Finally, enjoy a deep, satisfying side bend and some sighing breaths in diamond pose to help you feel refreshed and renewed.
If you’re feeling drained or stressed out after a long day this could be exactly what you need…
You can follow along with the written instructions and photos. Or press play on the audio class below and listen to my instructions as I guide you through this sequence:
5 Yoga Poses to De-stress After a Long Day
Dangling Pose – Baddha Hasta Uttanasana
With your feet at least hip width apart, and a bend in your knees, fold forward. Drop your head down towards the floor, take hold of opposite elbows and hang here. You can sway side to side, shake your head, open your mouth wide to stretch your jaw. You could also drop your hands down to the floor and sweep them side to side. Take at least 10 deep breaths here.
Visualise any stresses, worries or negative thoughts from your day dropping out of the top of your head here as you hang upside down. Relax your face, your jaw and your neck. Keep a softness in your knees so you can lengthen your lower back and drop your upper body towards the floor. This is where you can start to let go of the tension and rigidity and introduce more fluidity and ease.
Downward Facing Dog – Adho Mukha Savanasana
From your dangling pose bring your hands down to the floor and walk them out, keeping your hips lifting up and back, until you are in an upside down V shape. Keep your knees bent to begin, lengthening your lower back. Then straighten one leg at a time like you are walking on the spot. Add more movement if it feels good – wiggling your hips side to side, lifting and lowering your heels, shaking your head, shifting forward and back through plank. Take at least 8 deep breaths here.
Enjoy the feeling that you can move however you like right now – this is your time to do exactly what you like. Find what feels good, have fun listening to your body and giving yourself your full attention.
*If you feel totally tired out childs pose might be a great option for you instead of downward dog.
Pigeon Pose – Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
Set a timer for 3 minutes! From downward facing dog sweep your right shin forward so your right knee is being your right wrist. Sink your hips down towards the floor and fold forward. Perhaps pausing on your forearms or stretching your arms further forward and relaxing your head down. After 3 minutes step back to downward dog and do the pose on the other side.
This is where you get to slow down and take the time to notice exactly how you’re feeling. Give yourself your full attention as you take slow deep breaths and pay attention to any emotions or sensations in your body. With every exhale visualise releasing a little bit more of the tension, discomfort, tiredness, stress or any other thoughts, feelings, or emotions that you’d like to let go of right now.
Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose – Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana
Sit down and stretch your right leg out to the right. Bend your left knee and bring your left foot towards your right thigh. Lean to your right sweeping your left arm overhead toward your right toes. Relax your right arm down on to the floor, or hold your right leg or foot. Take at least 8 deep breaths here.
When you come out of the pose, just pause, seated for a few breaths (closing your eyes if you like) and notice how you feel after this biiig side bend.
Repeat on the other side.
Diamond Pose with Sighing Breath – Vajrasana
If it’s comfortable sit up on to your heels in a kneeling pose. If not find another comfortable seated pose that works for you. Now focus on your breath, take a deep breath in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth with a sigh. You can make your sighing exhale slow, soft and quiet or big, strong and loud. Just see what helps you release the stress of your day and feel calm and relaxed.
Take 10 sighing breaths here.
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