Life in an urban city is fast-paced, exciting, inspirational, and, well, stressful. At least it can be. Rather than turn to the not-so-healthy alternatives for handling stress (weekend binge drinking, eating, and sleeping ring a bell?), we turned to one of NYC’s yoga gurus, Yen from Yens Yoga for some tips on dealing with stress in a healthier manner.
Here we are in Central Park with 5 simple poses that can be done anywhere, so there’s really no excuse not to give them a try. Below, she explains each pose and its benefits.
1. Meditation Pose: This pose is the key to all stress relievers and mental clarity. It quiets the mind, eases stress, releases fear and self doubt. If everyone meditated at least 5 minutes a day, the world would be a more peaceful, harmonious, and less stressful place to live in with one another.
2. Dancer Pose: This pose helps with depression, as well as alleviates headaches. It makes you feel more connected with yourself, thus promoting self love and acceptance.
3. Pigeon Pose: This pose helps calm the mind, with the added bonus of fighting food cravings. It’s great before bed to create a clear mind and promotes peaceful sleep.
4. Tree Pose: This pose stimulates the body by creating balance, strength, and calmness. It will help in regaining concentration by giving a sense of grounding and a feeling of peace.
5. Mermaid Pose: This pose is great for restoring focus. It will strengthen your core, legs, feet, and back. It’s an all around full body stress reliever and one of the best in all of the yoga poses because it calms the entire body and prepares you for the last pose which is Shavasana, i.e. lying flat on your mat for some much needed R + R. Cue the zzz’s! (top photo)
No comments yet.