3 Restorative Yoga Poses For Work-Related Anxiety

How To:  Sit with your legs extended straight in front of you. Grab a bolster or a stack of pillows, and place them on top of your shins. Take a deep breath, and then exhale slowly as you come forward to rest your head on the prop. 

Breathe here, and allow the prop to pull your forehead skin down toward your eyebrows. This movement helps encourage a physiological state known as the relaxation response.

Beginner’s Tip: At the start of each pose, set a timer for five minutes (or longer) so that you can fully relax into them.

How To: Start by sitting, your right side down, on your mat. Place the bolster or pillows close to your right hip. Bend your knees into a fetal-like position, and tuck your legs in comfortably. Take a deep breath in as you turn your torso toward the bolster. Exhale and walk your hands forward on the bolster until you can rest your torso down onto it. Turn your head so that you rest on your left cheek.  Come out of the pose gently and do the other side.

Yoga practitioners believe that inversions (turning upside down) are incredibly therapeutic for the body. This is a version of one of the most therapeutic poses, known as Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose). This version of the pose is easier to get into and doesn’t require wall space.

How To: Place a bolster or pillows horizontally in the middle of your mat. Place a chair at the bottom third of your mat. Lie back onto the bolster so that it’s under your pelvis. Rest your calves on the chair.

You will probably need to readjust the spacing between the bolster and the chair. To do so, lift your pelvis and move the bolster closer to or further from the chair and then move your body back into position.

You should not feel like you are arching your back here. If it feels that way, make sure that the prop is not under your lower back—you might have to slide it down toward your feet a few inches so that it’s under your hips.  If that doesn’t work, try sliding a lower pillow under your hips.

Once you feel comfortable and supported, rest your arms in a cactus shape on the floor, close your eyes, and enjoy.

From: Organic Life