These days, having a calm state of mind and a strong immune system is of the utmost importance. Fortunately, yoga can help you gain both those things. According to Yoga Journal Magazine, “Yoga helps lower stress hormones that compromise the immune system, while also conditioning the lungs and respiratory tract, stimulating the lymphatic system to oust toxins from the body, and bringing oxygenated blood to the various organs to ensure their optimal function.”
On a more spiritual level, yoga has been found to help people become more compassionate to themselves and to others—something the world can definitely use right now. With all this in mind, here is a sequence of yoga poses that, practiced on their own from one to five minutes, can help bring calmness to you.
Crocodile pose: This pose is practiced by coming down onto the ground and resting in a prone position. The closeness to the earth makes this posture grounding and calming. The gentle pressure of the abdomen against the earth can be relaxing. The soft pressure on the forehead stimulates the pineal gland, or energetically, the third eye, and helps induce a calming response.
Child’s pose: This pose is practiced by kneeling on the ground and nestling your hips back toward your heels while bowing forward. The closeness to the earth makes this pose grounding, while the pressure of your abdomen against your thighs and the folding forward action can be reflective and restorative.
Supine twist: This pose is practiced by reclining onto your back and turning both legs in one direction. The supine nature of this pose allows for grounding and a sense of stability. The gentle pressure of the twisting action helps nourish the vital organs in the abdomen with fresh oxygen-rich blood. The twisting action also helps relax the hard-working back muscles that help support the spine. There is also the intention to “twist the issues out of your tissues” that can help you feel a release of anything that may feel “stuck” physically, mentally, psychologically, and spiritually.
Leg stretches with a strap: This pose is practiced by reclining onto your back and hooking one foot at a time into a yoga strap or belt. The supine nature of this pose allows for grounding. The release in the backs of the legs and groins from these stretches attends to the root chakra and helps initiate a sense of stability. Need some help performing these poses? The Chopra Center will give you all the guidance you need.
