5 relaxing yoga poses for the work week

Whether you’re working towards a 5pm deadline or bouncing between meetings, fatigue and stress throughout the week is experienced by the best of us.

Stress is a natural response in our body and can have either a positive or negative impact on our wellbeing. These days we are discovering that our mind and body are responding differently as we are now affected by stress on a daily basis.

In the short term, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but over time chronic stress puts our health and wellbeing at risk.

Next time stress creeps up, don’t reach for that second cup of coffee. Instead, give yoga a try. Here are five yoga poses to get you through your working week.

1. Standing forward bend

This allows your mind and body to let go, making you drop your head below the level of your heart and causing blood to flow to your brain. This gives your body a rejuvenating boost of oxygen, which calms your mind and relieves stress and anxiety. The beauty of this pose is it can be done anywhere, anytime.

2. Dead man’s corpse

This pose is basically the equivalent of lying down without moving your muscles. It’s the best pose to finish your yoga practice and your day. This deep restorative pose gives your body and most importantly your mind permission to be in a restful state. Here, your body enters into a state we call ‘rest and digest’, allowing you to de-stress and restore equilibrium to your mind, body and spirit.

3. Feet up the wall

This pose allows the pelvis to be above the heart and pools the energy like a lake into your pelvis, calming your heart and mind. This pooling effect induces the relaxation response, calming and restoring your body's energy.

4. Intense stretch to west

This pose has countless benefits physically, mentally and emotionally. This pose stretches the muscles of the lower back, hips and hamstrings, inducing a peaceful state of mind.

5. Child’s pose

Child’s pose is a gentle and restorative pose that enables the body to seek balance and to release tension. It relaxes and calms the mind and body while lengthening the entire spine. This pose initiates the relaxation response and releases lower back tension.