5 Easy Yoga Poses to Relieve Stress

Five easy yoga poses to relieve stress are Child's Pose, Tabletop, Cat-Cow, Knees-to-Chest and Supported Hero's Pose, all gentle, close to the floor and simple enough for a complete beginner. Done slowly, with long, steady breaths, they give a tight body and a busy mind ten calm minutes to settle.

Feeling stuck lately? Like your shoulders have moved in next to your ears and decided to stay? We've all been there. The days run back to back, the screen never really switches off, and somewhere along the way we forget we even have a body until it starts complaining.

If you're reading this slouched at your desk or sunk into the couch, this one's for you. Flexibility is optional, and so is touching your toes. All it takes is a bit of floor, a few minutes and a willingness to breathe a little slower than you have been.

And there's good reason to try. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that research suggests yoga may help relieve stress and support sleep and balance. In a 2020 review of 12 studies of healthy adults, every one found yoga helped with how stressed people felt. Part of it is the breath: Harvard Health explains that deep, slow breathing is linked to calmer states because it helps switch on the body's rest-and-relax system.

So let's pause. Take a deep breath. Let's come back to our bodies and begin.

Before you begin: how do you practise safely?

Go gently. These are soft poses, but your body still gets the final say. Cleveland Clinic's beginner guide puts it simply: some discomfort is expected at first, but you should never feel pain. If a pose hurts, ease out of it, and skip it for now. There's no prize for pushing through.

If you're pregnant, recovering from an injury or surgery, or living with a health condition such as a knee, hip or back problem, severe high blood pressure or glaucoma, check with your doctor before you start. NCCIH also advises that pregnant women avoid poses that involve lying on the back for long periods. And if you're completely new, a class with a qualified teacher is a lovely way to learn, because they can help you adjust each pose to your body.

Yoga is generally safe for healthy people, but it isn't a replacement for medical care. If something in your body has been bothering you for a while, see your doctor rather than waiting it out on the mat.

How should you prepare for the practice?

You don't need much. A non-slip mat is ideal, but a rug works. Grab a folded blanket, two yoga blocks (or two thick books) and a strap (or a long towel). Wear something comfortable that lets you move and doesn't fall over your face when you fold forward.

Pick a time and keep it. Mornings work well for many of us, before meetings and deadlines get a vote. Put it in your calendar like any other appointment. And don't worry about doing a lot. Cleveland Clinic's yoga therapist suggests that a little yoga every day, even ten minutes, does more than a long session every few weeks.

Give a big meal time to settle first, because folding forward on a full stomach is no fun. Find a calm corner, open a window if you can, and put your phone on silent somewhere you can't see it.

Most of all, be kind to yourself. Flexibility isn't the point. Go by how a pose feels, not how it looks. And let it be a little bit fun.

Why start with a soft first pose?

The first pose on the mat is your chance to step out of the noise of the day and listen to what's going on inside. It's always soft and comfortable, and it lays the foundation for everything that follows.

It can take a few minutes to switch your head off and actually feel your body, so don't rush. Let your breath find its own rhythm first. When you feel in sync with it, then you move. And at any point in your practice, you're allowed to come back to your first pose to rest.

Try this: before your first pose, simply sit or lie down and count ten slow breaths, in through the nose and out through the nose. If you lose count, start again at one. Nobody is keeping score.

1. Rest in Child's Pose (Balasana)

Child's Pose is the one we come back to again and again. It's a resting pose, and it asks you to do the hardest thing of all: nothing. Fold down, let the floor take your weight, and feel your back widen as you breathe in.

You can use it any time during your practice. If your breath gets choppy or your mind wanders off to your inbox, come back here and reconnect.

How to do it

1. Kneel on your mat. Touch your big toes together and sit back toward your heels.
2. Let your knees open about hip-width apart, or wider if that's more comfortable for your belly and hips.
3. Breathe out and fold forward, resting your chest between or on your thighs. Bring your forehead to the floor, or to a folded blanket or block if the floor feels far away.
4. Stretch your arms forward with palms down, or rest them alongside your body, palms up. Let your shoulders soften.
5. Stay for 30 seconds to a few minutes, breathing slowly into your back. To come up, walk your hands back and rise slowly.

If your knees complain, Yoga Journal suggests tucking a folded blanket into the crease behind your knees before you sit back.

2. Find your base in Tabletop Pose (Bharmanasana)

Tabletop is a neutral pose on all fours. It's where Cat-Cow begins, and it's a good place to pause between other poses. Think of it as standing still, just closer to the floor.

How to do it

1. Come onto your hands and knees. Place your hands under your shoulders, fingers spread and pointing forward, and your knees under your hips, about hip-width apart.
2. Look down between your hands so your neck stays in line with your spine. Let your back be flat, like a table.
3. Press gently into your palms so your shoulders move away from your ears. Reach your tailbone back and the crown of your head forward to lengthen your spine.
4. Breathe deeply here for a few breaths.

If your knees feel the pressure, slide a folded blanket under them. If your wrists ache, Yoga Basics suggests making soft fists to take the load off. Skip this pose if you have a recent wrist or knee injury.

3. Move with your breath in Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana and Bitilasana)

Cat and Cow are two poses that almost always travel together, linked by your breath. Inhale into one, exhale into the other. It's a gentle way to wake up a spine that's spent all day in a chair, and the steady rhythm gives a racing mind something simple to follow.

How to do it

1. Start in Tabletop, hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
2. Cow: as you breathe in, let your belly lower toward the mat, draw your shoulder blades together to open your chest, and lift your gaze gently forward.
3. Cat: as you breathe out, round your back toward the ceiling, tuck your tailbone and let your chin come toward your chest. Push the floor away with your hands.
4. Keep moving slowly between the two for five to ten breaths, then come back to a flat Tabletop.

Keep your neck long and don't fling your head back in Cow. Cleveland Clinic also offers a seated version you can do in a chair, which is perfect if your wrists or knees don't like the floor, or if you need a stretch between meetings.

4. Give yourself a hug in Knees-to-Chest Pose (Apanasana)

This one is soothing and simple. You're lying on your back, gently hugging your knees in, and it gives your lower back a soft stretch after all that sitting. We love it for another reason too. It's literally giving yourself a hug. On a stressful day, that counts for something.

How to do it

1. Lie on your back on your mat, legs long.
2. Breathe in and draw both knees in toward your chest.
3. Wrap your arms around your shins, or grab the backs of your thighs if that's easier on your knees.
4. Let your head, shoulders and lower back sink into the floor. Relax your feet and hips.
5. Stay for four to eight slow breaths, then release your feet back to the floor.

If your belly feels squashed, let your knees drift a little apart. Yoga Basics lists recent abdominal surgery, hernia, pregnancy and severe back injuries as reasons to skip this pose. If you enjoy it, there are more gentle poses you can do lying on your back.

5. Settle into Supported Hero's Pose (Virasana)

Supported Hero's Pose is a kneeling seat, a good alternative to sitting cross-legged when you want to close your eyes and just breathe. The support under your hips is what makes it kind to your knees, so don't skip the prop.

How to do it

1. Kneel with your knees close together and your feet slightly wider than your hips, tops of your feet flat on the floor.
2. Place a block, a stack of books or a firm cushion between your feet. Sit back onto it so both sitting bones are evenly supported.
3. Rest your hands on your thighs, palms up or down.
4. Lift your shoulders up toward your ears, roll them back and let them drop. Open your chest and let your tailbone point toward the floor.
5. Gaze at one point ahead or close your eyes and listen to your breath. Start with 30 seconds to a minute, and build up slowly over time.

If you feel strain in your knees or ankles, Yoga Journal suggests adding more height under your seat, or trying the version on a chair: sit tall on a sturdy chair, feet flat and hip-width apart. If you have a knee injury, skip this pose and simply sit on a chair.

How can you put the five poses together?

Here's a simple ten-minute sequence to come back to whenever you need it:

1. Child's Pose for about a minute, counting your breaths.
2. Tabletop for three slow breaths.
3. Cat-Cow for ten rounds, one breath each way.
4. Child's Pose again for five breaths.
5. Roll onto your back for Knees-to-Chest, four to eight breaths.
6. Come up slowly into Supported Hero's Pose and sit for one to three minutes with your eyes closed.

On days you can't get to the floor, even a few breaths with your eyes closed helps. Our ridiculously simple tips to calm yourself work at a desk, in a queue or in the car.

Come back to your body

We believe the body keeps asking for small things: a stretch, a slower breath, a moment of stillness. When we give it those, it gives us back a calmer head and a bit more patience for the rest of the day.

Some stress won't shift with a stretch, and that's okay. If you've been feeling tense, anxious or overwhelmed for weeks and it's getting in the way of your life, please talk to your doctor or a therapist. Asking for help is self-care too.

So roll out the mat, or the rug, and give yourself ten minutes tonight. You deserve them. You've got this.

Which pose did your body thank you for? Tell us your favourite in the comments.