Embracing Serenity:
Yoga Poses for Easing Depression and Anxiety
Written by Gianna CancelliAs we navigate through the chaos of everyday life, moments of serenity become prized. Many of us seek solace in practices that blend physical work with mental, attempting to foster peace and steadiness. Keeping an open mind and heart, yoga can and will immensely help with anxiety and depression. Try and dip your toes in the world of yoga and discover how you can become your own sanctuary.
Yoga, an ancient practice originating from India, embodies a harmonious fusion of breathing techniques (pranayama), physical postures/poses (asanas), and meditation. Its holistic approach not only enhances physical well-being, but also cultivates mental clarity and emotional stability. Practicing yoga overall helps with depression and anxiety, as it almost forces you to stay in the present moment by concentrating on your breath and body. When I teach, I cue almost every single pose with inhales and exhales, as the goal is to link every single moment with mindful breaths. Why, you may ask?
Breathing exercises help with anxiety as it tricks your brain into thinking it's in a calm state. When you’re anxious, your breathing is generally uneven, shallow, and rapid. Slowing down your breathing can signal relaxation and stimulate the vagus nerve, which is part of the parasympathetic nervous system. This can cause physiological changes like lowered blood pressure and heart rate, which in turn, reduces stress hormones.
With that said, here as some of my favorite poses that can serve as pillars of strength to restore your inner zen:
Corpse Pose (Shavasana) The ultimate relaxation posture, Shavasana nurtures a state of deep rest. By surrendering completely and focusing on your breath, you can release anxiety and quiet the mind. Practicing this regularly will create more awareness of your body and its surroundings. Personally speaking, creating more awareness of the present moment helps deal with stressful situations with added grace, instead of disassociating and/or creating false narratives. In this pose, you can lay however you want. Feet can be pressed together, both knees open and to the side (option to place a block under both knees, this feels AMAZING), legs extended long alongside each other, or spread apart. Arms can relax at your side with palms facing up to receive, facing down to feel grounded, or placing your left hand over your heart and right hand over your stomach to feel present.
Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani) This pose encourages relaxation, reduces fatigue, and eases anxiety by encouraging blood circulation and lymphatic drainage. This pose slows down your heart rate, causing you to calm down emotionally. If you are looking for a more restorative option, you can physically go against a wall, placing your legs up (my favorite) or insert a blanket or block underneath your sacrum.
Child's Pose (Balasana) This gentle resting posture allows you to surrender to gravity, calm the mind and soothe the nervous system. Sinking into this pose helps let go of tension and brings you a sense of security. This pose helps release tightness in our back, neck and shoulders, where we typically store stress. Knees can be as wide as your mat, with arms stretched out in front of you or palms in prayer behind our head. Another option is keeping the knees together, with arms extended in front or down alongside the body (this option is best after practicing backbends).
Mountain Pose (Tadasana) I love this pose as it is simple and can be done anywhere. My favorite way is to ground down barefoot on the grass, spreading my toes and gripping down, breathing in fresh air. Otherwise, you can just stand tall wherever you are (barefoot or not), with your shoulders down and away from the ears, lifting the crown of your head, shoulder blades pressing towards one another. Your hands can be pressed together at heart center or down and along your sides, palms shining in front of you. If it feels comfortable, close your eyes, and take slow and deep breaths. This truly feels like medicine. The best pranayama/breathing practice (in my opinion) is called Viloma that I particularly like to do when I’m in Mountain and Corpse Pose. Inhale for 4 counts from the belly, hold for 3. Inhale from the sides of your rib cage for 4 counts, hold for 3. Inhale through the chest, holding 3, then exhaling completely. Mountain Pose centers your body and mind and helps create a sense of inner peace. It also helps to improve posture, alignment, and balance, making you feel strong and stable.
Standing or Seated Forward Fold and Wide Legged Forward Fold (Uttanasana and Prasarita Padottanasana) Forward folds calm the nervous system because you are folding into yourself, creating a safe, personal space. It stretches the back of the body, allowing you to take deep and calm breaths. You can fold standing or seated, as both quiet the mind and bring inner awareness. You can stand with your feet together or hip width distance apart. Hands can stay down on the mat or grab opposite elbows. You can find stillness, or sway side to side, maybe shaking the head yes and no, ensuring to hold no tension and letting yourself hang. Mico bend in the knees or as much as needed. If you are practicing Wide Legged Forward Fold, it is helpful to stand pigeon toed to avoid sliding! Some variations in this pose are to place a block underneath your head to bring the mat up to you, interlacing your fingers into a basket grip behind your back (make sure those palms are pressing together and not splaying open!) grabbing opposite ankles with your hands, or maybe bringing your head down to the mat. Added bonus regarding folds: it stimulates the liver and kidneys and helps with digestion!
Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana) Low lunges help embrace your grounding energy as you open your heart and hips. It releases built-up tension, boosts confidence, and instills a sense of balance and stability. There are many arm variations available to express yourself, like keeping hands on the thigh, hips, up towards the sky, cactus arms, basket grip behind your back, cow-face or eagle arms to stretch out the shoulders as an additional opener. Your front knee and ankle should be in line with one another, so that you can see your toes. If you have trouble with your knees, place a blanket underneath your back knee for a more comfortable experience.
Camel Pose (Ustrasana) Any and all heart openers are fantastic when you are feeling anxious. Think about it - when you are feeling upset, what does your body do? You tend to close off your body by hunching, crossing your arms and slouching. Camel activates the heart chakra, opening the chest, encouraging you to not hide within yourself and get more comfortable with your emotions.
HOW TO:
1. Start on your knees, placing them hip-width apart, maybe placing a blanket underneath the knees.
2. Engage your inner thighs, draw your lower belly in and up, and roll your shoulders back.
3. Inhale, lengthen through your waist and lift the chest up. Grounding down on your lower body, exhale and come into your backbend. Keep the chest lifted without crunching the neck or lower back.
4. As you lean back, your hands can touch down on the blocks at its highest height outside of each ankle, hands on your lower back, thighs or heels. You can also do one side at a time, by circling one arm up and behind you.
5. Keep your inner thighs engaged. Press the shoulder blades in toward one another and stay for a couple of breaths.
6. On an inhale, bring yourself upright, and sit on your heels with a neutral spine. You can gently and slowly twist from side to side (Thunderbolt Pose) for a counterpose.
*PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU HAVE SPINE, NECK, KNEE, OR ANKLE INJURIES, OR HAND ANY RECENT SURGERIES, PRACTICE A GENTILE BRIDGE POSE INSTEAD*
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) – This pose has the same benefits as Camel and is less intense. It helps relieve tension in your back, while stretching your chest, neck and spine.
HOW TO:
1. Lay on your back, knees bent hip width distance apart, with a comfortable distance from the hips, feet flat on the mat.
2. Arms out alongside you, palms facing down on the mat. Taking a nice big inhale, exhale lift your hips up to the ceiling, pressing the back of your shoulders and your feet into the floor.
3. Arms can stay at your side, or hands can come to a basket grip below your back, staying firm on the mat. Keep a neutral neck while in the pose.
4. To come out, slowly release the arms and roll down vertebra by vertebra. Slowly windshield wiper the knees back and forth for release.
Tree Pose (Vrksasana) I love this pose as there are several variations and it truly makes you stay in the present moment. I find myself standing and talking in Tree in my everyday life without realizing it. It helps improve your concentration by finding your Drishti (your focus on an unmoving object) and brings steadiness to your nervous system. This balancing pose makes you feel grounded, which immensely reduces anxious feelings.
HOW TO:
1. Standing with your feet together and your knees slightly bent, bring your hands to your hips, palms together at heart center, or up the sky for the full expression.
2. Starting with your right foot grounded, left toes can stay on the mat, gating open the left knee toward the left side of the room.
3. From here, your left toes can simply stay on the mat, or the pad of the left foot can rest on the inside of the right ankle, calf, thigh, or hip crease; ensuring that you are not resting your foot on the right knee to avoid injury. If you’d like to take it even further, close your eyes. Wash, rinse, repeat on the left!
Pigeon Pose/Reclined Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana/Supta Kapotasana) There are several benefits in practicing this pose, especially as a hip opener, where we store stress, trauma, and fear. Opening the hips releases negative emotions and unwanted energy. It helps remove emotional barriers and makes you feel freer and more open emotionally. When the psoas (a muscle that runs along the spine and connects the lumbar vertebrae to the femur) becomes tight from stress or sitting, it can pull on the spine and limit the diaphragm's movement. This can make it harder to breathe, creating feelings of anxiety. It's also known as the "fight or flight" muscle because it contracts when the body senses a threat. Stretching the psoas in pigeon pose sends a signal to the nervous system that it's safe to relax. You can take it in the full expression or reclined, which is the more restorative and gentile option.
HOW TO:
1. Start in Downward Dog
2. On an inhale, right leg lifts for Three-Legged Dog. Exhale, bring the knee to chest.
3. Slowly lower your hips down and bring your right knee to the right wrist crease, and the right toes to the left wrist crease. Keep the right foot flexed and the hips in line with one another.
4. Left leg is out long behind you. Taking an inhale, slowly lower your chest down to the mat. Forearms slowly come down to the mat, hands grabbing opposite elbows. Head can rest on the mat or forearms.
5. Bring awareness to your left hip, as it may creep up. Gently press the left hip down to keep it in line with the right.
6. To get out of the pose, bring your palms to the mat, and slowly press yourself up. Tuck the back toes and lift the back knee and hips.
7. Using your core, lift the right leg and bring it back to Three-Legged Dog, into Doward Facing Dog. Pedal out the feet and repeat on the other side.
If you are new to yoga and are trying this for the first time at home, practice Reclined Pigeon:
HOW TO:
1. Lay on your back with your knees bent, placing your feet on the mat close to the lower back.
2. Lift your left foot, keeping it bent from the knee. Cross the left ankle and place it on the right thigh, just about the right knee.
3. Make sure that your back is neutral and rested on the floor and that your head isn’t lifted but rested on the mat.
4. Lift your right foot off the floor, and thread your left arm through the legs, and right arm reaches around the right thigh to interlace with the left. You can hold your right thigh, or for more of an intense stretch, you can hold your right shin, right below your right knee.
5. Gaze up towards the sky. Press the right knee deeper into the chest when you exhale and feel the lower hip stretch. The pressure at the hamstring and the upper thigh creates a deeper stretch of the hip and lower back. Ensure the body remains in this pose without stressing the neck muscles or the shoulder blades.
6. Remain in the pose for three to four breaths.
7. To exit the pose, gently release your arms first, place your right foot on the floor followed by your left. Repeat on the other side.
Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana) This pose stretches and engages the entire body, while helping blood flow. It alleviates stress and tension in the shoulders, neck, and upper back, helping to reduce feelings of anxiety and exhaustion, promoting mental clarity.
HOW TO:
1. Extend both legs out in front of you, sitting nice and tall. Cross your right leg over your left, stacking the knee on top of the other.
2. Bring the right heel to the outside of your left hip. Bend your left knee and bring your left heel towards the outside of the right hip. If stacking your hips feels too intense, place the right foot down on either side of the bottom knee, and/or straighten the bottom leg so that its out long.
3. Trying to keep the knees stacked and centered, press down evenly on your sitting bones.
4. Bend your right arm behind your head, so that your elbow is facing the sky, with the palm facing the small of your back, fingers wide.
5. Bend the left elbow and place it behind you, so that the elbow is pointing down to your lower back, the inside of your palm facing away from your body with your fingers wide.
6. Reach your hands toward each other until they touch. Clasp hands or fingers if possible or your shirt, strap or towel. Another option is to bend one arm up and behind your head, so that your elbow is pointing toward the ceiling, bringing it as close as you can behind your head. The palm is wide and open in the small of your back. The opposite hand grabs and gently tugs the elbow to help it stay centered or gently bring it closer to the center.
7. To get out of the pose, exhale and carefully release your arms out to your sides and uncross your legs.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Each pose acts as a tool for self-care, alluring you to explore the union of breath, movement, and mindfulness to consciously and calmly manage moments of unease. Incorporating some poses into your daily routine can significantly aid in handling anxiety levels. Try practicing them in a calm, quiet space to amplify their healing effects, or play some of your favorite music. Some of the poses I mentioned can seem overwhelming or complex to do on your own, which is why I’ve included them in my online session to help guide you through it! These asanas are extremely beneficial, and a lot of intention went into picking a handful of poses out of roughly 200!
Remember, amidst the chaos, you hold the power to cultivate stillness within. Embrace it, nurture it, and let it blossom. Take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and step onto the path of inner peace—one pose at a time. This blog was inspired to help others who are in the pursuit of inner harmony and discovering the transformative power of yoga. I truly hope this was helpful and serves as a reminder that you are in control of your mind, body and spirit.
