5 Yoga Poses to Reduce Stress
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5 Stress-Reducing Yoga Poses to Add to Your Flow

5 Stress-Reducing Yoga Poses to Add to Your Flow
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Updated on January 28, 2026
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Yoga offers a number of benefits, including its ability to help reduce stress.

 Certain yoga poses may be particularly effective for you to reap those peace-inducing wins.

Here, learn about yoga’s ability to help melt away stress and increase feelings of relaxation among people who practice the fitness modality. Then, get a certified yoga practitioner’s top poses to reduce stress.

The Connection Between Yoga and Stress Relief

Practicing yoga can benefit your health and well-being in myriad ways, including helping you build resilience and manage stress to better deal with the challenges that pop up when you’re off the mat.

 The mindfulness practice can also help you dial down the tension in moments of stress, says Amber Wallin, founder of Hot Mess Yoga in Chicago and a Yoga Alliance–certified instructor. “Yoga can help with stress prevention and flare-ups,” she says.

For a stress-relieving practice, Wallin suggests keeping your phone out of reach. (Keep it in another room so there’s no temptation to pick it up, and turn off notifications.)

She also recommends working to ensure your environment is as comfortable as possible. If that means practicing yoga in sweatpants or underwear, then go for it. Also, consider whether you prefer a warm room or with the air conditioning on blast.

Finally, don’t set expectations for yourself. It’s okay if you can’t touch your toes. It’s okay if you use modifications in various poses. Your yoga practice is for you; it doesn’t have to look any certain way.

Types of Yoga Poses That May Support Reduced Stress

Certain yoga postures in particular may help you get into a state of calm, says Wallin.

She says that grounding poses, specifically, help stop the hamster wheel of mind chatter (read: worry and anxiety). During grounding poses, you may feel called to let your mind relax. You may be able to hold these poses for an extended time without breaking a sweat, and this longer hold may also help you mentally settle, Wallin says.

Alternatively, holding more physically challenging poses, like inversions or balancing poses, may require you to focus and use physical strength, Wallin explains.

Wallin recommends practicing grounding yoga poses for 15 minutes a day, but she adds that any amount of time you can devote will help. Pick just one pose and try it when you’re feeling overwhelmed in the moment or at the end of a stressful day to unwind. Focus on your breathing throughout each pose.

Taking long, deep breaths can slow your heart rate and help trigger stress-relieving benefits.

 What’s more, when you bring your attention to your breath, it’s harder to fixate on what’s stressing you out.

5 Yoga Poses to Reduce Stress

Below, learn about five grounding, stress-relieving poses, plus how to practice each.

1. Reclining Bound Angle Pose

This is a quieting pose, making it a great place to start. Lie on your back, bend your knees, and place feet flat on the ground. Then drop your knees out wide with the soles of your feet touching so your legs form a diamond. Place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly.

“Feel your heartbeat slow down,” says Wallin. “This [pose] takes me out of my mind and what’s giving me anxiety.” Stay in the pose for at least one minute. Repeat as necessary.

2. Seated Forward Bend

Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out straight in front of you. Keeping your torso long (don’t curve your back), fold forward and reach for your toes. Reach as far as you can without shaking or otherwise feeling uncomfortable. If your hands can make it to your knees or shins, rest your hands on your legs and stay there for a minute. With time and practice, you may eventually be able to reach farther, Wallin says.

3. Sun Salutation A

Typically, Sun Salutations feature a sequence of steps that run through several poses.

 This part of Sun Salutation A can be particularly stress-relieving.

To do it, stand with your feet slightly apart. Keep your arms at your sides, with your palms facing forward. Raise arms up above your head toward the sky and then slowly reach your arms back, arching your back and opening your chest. Each day you do this, you may find that your chest is able to open more and more, says Wallin. Fold forward to reach toward your toes. Hold for a few breaths at the top of the pose and then in the forward bend. Repeat.

4. Half Pigeon Lying Down

This pose helps you release tightness in your hamstrings.

Lie on your back and bring your knees up toward your chest. Fold your right leg, so that your heel rests on the left knee and your right knee sticks out to the side. Reach behind your left leg and pull it toward you. When you feel a stretch in your hamstring, you’ll know you’re in the pose. Hold for about a minute or a few breaths. Repeat on the other side.

5. Legs up the Wall

This is a great grounding and calming pose because all it asks you to do is lie with your legs elevated up a wall and rest, says Wallin.

To do it, sit with your right side against a wall. Lie down, then pivot your body toward the wall and swing your legs up the wall so they’re resting against it.

Lie on a mat if that’s more comfortable and feel free to put a pillow or blanket under your head for comfort. Also consider placing a folded blanket under your lower back to support your spine or one under your neck if doing so makes the position more comfortable.

If you’re a beginner to yoga, “you may feel your legs shaking in the pose,” says Wallin. “But this pose over time will help create space to sit with your thoughts.”

Try putting yourself in this pose for a meditation practice if you have one, she adds. Hold for a few breaths or as long as it feels good for your body.

The Takeaway

  • Yoga offers many health benefits, one of which is helping to relieve stress.
  • Grounding poses are particularly stress-relieving.
  • Five examples of stress-reducing yoga poses include reclining bound ankle, seated forward bend, Sun Salutation A, Half Pigeon Lying Down, and legs up the wall.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Schleinzer A et al. Effects of Yoga on Stress in Stressed Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry. November 1, 2024.
  2. Khajuria A et al. Reducing Stress With Yoga: A Systematic Review Based on Multimodal Biosignals. International Journal of Yoga. February 9, 2024.
  3. Fincham GW et al. Effect of Breathwork on Stress and Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised-Controlled Trials. Scientific Reports. January 9, 2023.
  4. Your Step-by-Step Guide to Flowing Through Sun Salutations. Yoga Journal. August 13, 2021.
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