How to reduce Stress and Anxiety at home

A smartphone that vibrates constantly, unforeseen events to manage, public transport ... stress is omnipresent in our lifestyles and today it represents a real public health problem. More and more people are looking for natural ways to fight this scourge. Among these natural solutions, we find yoga acclaimed by more and more followers to permanently relieve their stress or anxiety.

How does yoga fight against stress?

Lower blood pressure and work on breathing.

Yoga is a sometimes demanding physical activity that alternates between moments when the heart rate will be accelerated and moments of calm. This alternation helps reduce stress by lowering blood pressure and heart rate.

Breathing is also a key component in reducing stress and anxiety in yoga practitioners. Indeed, thanks to pranayama exercises (yoga breathing exercises) which consists of taking deep ventral breaths, the brain will receive more oxygen and the parasympathetic nervous system will be in the best conditions to fulfill its main role: to calm your body and help reduce your stress.

Yoga, a body-mind practice

Yoga is a body-mind practice that combines physical poses, controlled breathing often accompanied by meditation or relaxation.
It is considered to be one of many complementary approaches to health. Yoga brings together physical and mental disciplines that help achieve peace of mind and body to better manage stress and anxiety. Yoga is more than a sport, it is a real art of living!

Additionally, exercise is a very useful stress reliever, but yoga is different from Pilates or cardio classes. Indeed, it improves physical condition but also cultivates an introspective philosophy of self-compassion and awakening of consciousness. One of the main concepts of yoga is not to pass judgment on yourself or others, which is a powerful tool in relieving stress, as a lot of our stress comes from being hard on us. ourselves or frustrated with others.

A fundamental principle of yoga is that body and mind are one and are connected. Stress often affects one or another dimension of our being, either through muscle tension or mental stress that paralyzes us in certain situations. Many of us live through one or the other of these dimensions, which creates an imbalance.

For example, people with very analytical jobs may spend a lot of time still thinking and not realizing how much tension is stored in their bodies. Or if you are an athlete, you may be very conscious of your body, but it will help you to become more aware of your mental state. Wherever you find this type of pattern, yoga will help balance and invigorate the connection between your body and your mind.

Kindness and positive emotions.

Kindness and positive emotions are two important elements of yoga that can protect you from stress. It is very easy to learn to be hard on yourself, so unlearning to judge yourself can be difficult but useful. For most people, it is not natural to be compassionate with yourself; so it takes regular practice and trying to be grateful and kind to yourself a little bit every day.

And precisely, how to do it?
It's different for everyone. This may start by giving yourself some time to spend with a close friend, spending extra time playing music, or taking the time to do a guided meditation to release the pressure a bit better.

By showing kindness and love towards ourselves, we become able to increase our capacity to accept, forgive or love others. Positive emotions will naturally develop around us and reduce our stress and that of the people around us.

What types of yoga are recommended against stress?

All types of yoga will allow you to fight against stress and everyone will find in this or that practice the most effective way to reduce their anxiety. But some yoga is particularly recommended for work on the relaxation of the body and the mind.

Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga is an ideal therapeutic practice to fight against stress, relax your body and mind and achieve a state of relaxation. It aims to relax muscles, ligaments, and joints with postures maintained for long periods in order to soften deeply while strengthening the back. Breathing is also key in this class to deepen the postures and promote the feeling of relaxation and letting go. Expect to be relaxed and relaxed! Find all of our Yin Yoga classes here.

Yoga Nidra or Sleep Yoga

Yoda Nidra or "Yogic Sleep" is particularly recommended to improve your sleep. It helps you stop thinking about the stresses of the day and helps you maintain a calm state to fall asleep. Yogic sleep is a state between sleep and wakefulness in which students are immersed in a kind of meditation guided by the voice of the teacher. The body and mind are thus calmed and emerge particularly soothed from the course By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, Yoga Nidra helps reduce stress and especially that which prevents us from sleeping well!

Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga is a calming class accessible to all. The postures are maintained longer and the movements are slower which promotes a feeling of relaxation and letting go. You will alternate the work of postures and breathing exercises to gently recharge your batteries, listening to your body. Hatha Yoga is ideal if you are a beginner and want to practice accessible and effective yoga against stress.
Find all of our Hatha Yoga classes here.

What yoga postures to do at home to relieve stress?

The tree pose

The tree pose is a balancing pose that is effective in combating stress. It appeals to the concentration and the feeling of the present moment. It provides a feeling of anchoring and connection to the earth beneficial for self-confidence and therefore for stress reduction

The child's posture

Often practiced in the middle of a yoga sequence to "rest" for a few seconds, the child's posture allows an immediate feeling of relaxation and comfort. It relaxes all the muscles of the back and chest at the same time, but also the muscles of the lower limbs. You can easily escape for a few minutes during the child's posture, it is really recommended to relax and de-stress.

The stork posture

The stork posture stimulates blood circulation, especially in the brain. This helps calm the nervous system, fight headaches and is highly recommended before sleeping to get rid of stress that can prevent falling asleep. This posture also effectively stretches the back muscles and provides a general feeling of relaxation.