5 Yoga Poses To Help You Calm Right Down!

Grab a mat, roll up your leggings and strike a pose – National Yoga Month is here and we’re ready to ‘get it om’.

From increasing flexibility and mindfulness to decreasing stress and fatigue yoga’s benefits are boundless, but putting the bendy moves into practice is often easier said than done.

With so many variations and even more poses to choose from you can easily be left feeling more worked up than chilled out, so how do you know which are the right moves for you? We spoke to Nathalie Kealy, Founder of Value Your Mind to get the lowdown.

With mental wellbeing at its core, Value Your Mind offers yoga classes, bespoke health support and some seriously delicious (and free) mood boosting recipes on their website – all in the name of making your life as stress free as possible.

Nathalie, a wellness coach and yoga instructor (aka your new best friend) feels that a positive state of mind is the key to living a healthy and balanced life. So with that in mind we asked her (ok begged) to utilize her awesome credentials and put together a list of the top stress reducing yoga poses that can be done anywhere.

Bye-bye stress… we won’t miss you!

Vrikasana: Tree Pose

This pose restores balance in the brain and encourages focus…

Stand in mountain pose (Tadasana) remembering to stand tall with your feet together and your hands by your sides.
Begin to shift your weight onto your left foot.
Find focal point for the eyes, keep your gaze soft and peel your right foot from the floor.
Place the sole of your foot either on your inner calf or thigh (avoid placing it on the knee joint).
Bring your hands together at your heart and centre in prayer (option to raise prayer to sky and look to thumbs).
Remain here for 5 breaths before gently placing your foot down and swapping sides.

Uttana Shishosana: Extended Puppy Pose

This pose opens shoulders and chest (where we hold tension)…

Come to all fours with your knees and hands planted on the floor (table top position), position your hips over your knees and your shoulders over your wrists.
Keep your hips in line with your knees while moving your hands out further in front of you allowing yourself space to lower your chest and forehead down to the mat.
Feel a gentle opening of the underarms and shoulders as you push gently through the hands and stretch through your armpits and chest.
Remain here for 5 breaths filling the belly slowly full of air with each inhale and releasing the air slowly on each exhale.

Prasarita Padottansana: A Wide Legged Forward Bend

Releases hip tension/eases pressure on heart through inversion…

Stand with your feet 3 to 4 feet apart – to measure stretch your arms out to the sides. Your feet should be in line with your hands.
Bring your hands to your hips.
Ensure your feet are parallel to each other and your weight is on the outer edges of your feet.
Inhale and look to the sky – open the heart/chest.
Exhale and draw your navel in and slowly bend forward from the hips with a flat back.
Release your hands from the hips and place them on the floor. Slowly walk your hands back so they are in line with your feet.
Tip your weight forward into your toes as if you could almost lift your heels off the floor
As you bend deeper into the posture aim for the crown of your head to touch the floor and to create a shelf with a 90 degree angle bend in your arms.
Use the inhale breath to find length in your spine and the exhale breath to fold deeper.
Remain here for as long as you choose (5-10 breaths recommended). Use a wall behind you for balance and alignment (if needed), bringing your heels and buttocks against the wall.

Viparita Karani: Legs Up Wall Pose

This pose is amazing for calming the nervous system (no muscle engagement required)…

Find some wall space.
Lie on your back with your legs up against the wall.
Using your hands move your buttocks and sit as close to the wall you can, preferably with no gap. Your hips should remain on the mat or floor.
Bring your hands either behind your head, to your sides, or place one hand on your chest and one on your tummy.
Close your eyes and let go of any tension in your hips and shoulders.
Allow your back to feel heavy on the mat as the strain is taken away from your legs and feet.
Remain in this pose for 15 breaths.

Savasana: Corpse Pose

A calming pose to help achieve total stillness…

Lie flat on your back.
Keep your arms by your sides and your palms facing upwards.
Allow your feet to fall outwards and your whole body to release down into the floor or mat.
Close your eyes and bring your focus to your breath.
Watch the inhale and exhale, slowly counting each breath. When you notice your thoughts have become distracted slowly bring them back to the breath and continue counting from where you left off.

If you’re on the hunt for more stress-busting activities Nathalie Kealy offers programs, retreats in France, and regular yoga classes in South London as well as yoga lunch clubs in the New Forest and Hampshire.

You can find out more about these classes and life-changing wellness packages here: www.valueyourmind.com (don’t forget to check out the recipes).