5 Yoga Poses to Clear your Mind

Yoga Poses to Clear your Mind: Stress requires our total strength. As the new year begins, we all have some variation of "less stress" on our list of resolutions, as our bodies require a recharge after the holiday season. Stress can inflict havoc on the body, including the intellect, the muscles, and the respiratory system. Yoga provides us with the means to connect with our bodies and manage the effects of tension. Working with yoga poses is a wonderful method to properly align your mind and body and release any burdens. Regular yoga practise improves respiration, restores equilibrium, and induces a relaxation response in the body. Here are defining Yoga Poses to Clear your Mind.

5 Yoga Poses to Clear your Mind

1. Downward Facing Dog

Downward dog is a pose that offers an all-over rejuvenating stretch. You’ll notice it’s one of the first and last poses you’ll do in a class. Since it involves the whole body, you can feel its effects from head to toe. Downward Dog stimulates the various organ systems in your body since it’s an inversion pose (where your heart is above your head). It will encourage circulation, open your chest and strengthen your posture and mind.

2. Cat/Cow Pose

These two poses provide a gentle massage of the spine and ease tension of your neck and shoulders. When practiced regularly this sequence helps develop postural awareness and balance throughout the body. If you notice any pain, place a blanket underneath your knees.  

Also read: Yoga Positions for Dummies

3. Corpse Pose

Corpse Pose is usually used for deep restoration at the end of any yoga class. The key is the ability to lie completely still – yet focusing and detaching from the present moment. Though it may seem like the easiest pose, Corpse Pose requires you to fully focus on breathing and releasing any worries. Stay present and aware for the complete duration of the pose and it will lead to more clarity.

4. Standing Forward Fold

Standing Forward Fold Pose can help quiet a busy mind, balance the nervous system and promote calmness. This pose focuses on straightening your spine towards your thighs. The goal is not straight legs, so this pose can even be done seated. It helps balance your mind when overstimulated and is known to help tension in your lower back, while stretching your hamstrings.

5. Child’s Pose

One of the classic resting postures, Child’s Pose calms the mind and releases tension from the neck and shoulders. You can put a pillow or a bolster underneath your head to make it even more comfortable. Make sure to release your shoulders so they’re not at your ears.