7 Simple Yoga Poses to Ease Emotional Tension and Promote Healing
When I was first introduced to yoga, I was struggling with stabilizing my emotions. From swimming in middle school, doing my first deep squat in high school to working out at the gym in college. It wasn't until yoga where a body movement practice served to connect the mind and body through awareness. The sacred practice of yoga really helps to keep me clear and aware because throughout my breath I'm anchored with my breath. If you've been seeking deeper connection with your body while benefiting from awareness of your emotions, then divine feminine yoga is for you. Yoga is the expression of the Soul.
In this blog, I'll share 7 simple yoga poses that ease emotional tension and promote healing, here is an overview of the topics:
- What is Yoga?
- Childs Pose Balasana
- Heart-Opening Ustrasana
- Legs Up the Wall Viparita Karani
- Seated Forward Fold Paschimottanasana
- Cat-Cow Pose
- Bound Angle Pose Buddha Konasana
- Corpse Pose Savasana
- Emotional Restoration benefits of Yoga
What is Yoga?
This expression of the soul can be leveraged as a powerful tool to deepen awareness of your emotional state while improving flexibility and strength. Yoga is a therapeutic practice that impacts the mind, body and soul in tangible ways. Composed of postures, breathwork and meditation, yoga touches all basis of wellbeing. Many of us carry emotional tension in our bodies—whether it’s stress from a hectic day, unresolved feelings, or just the weight of modern life. By practicing certain yoga poses, we can create space in the body to release stored emotions and promote emotional healing.
“Yoga lets you tune in, chill out and shape up – at the same time.” - Siddhi Yoga
There are 7 key yoga poses that can help you release tension, calm your mind, and support emotional healing:
Child’s Pose ~ Balasana
Let's begin with one of the most calming and restorative postures in Hatha yoga, the child's pose or Balasana in Sanskrit. This is a gentle forward fold that encourages relaxation by releasing tension in the back, shoulders, and neck. Popularly used after workouts, during breaks in hot yoga and other movement therapies. When I get in this pose, it feels like I am a baby again cuddling up with myself. This fosters connection with self and stillness. By surrendering into this pose, you create space to connect with your breath, ground yourself and invite emotional release. To describe child's pose in one word would be - Nurturing.
How to do it:
- Start on your hands and knees, with your knees wide apart and big toes touching.
- Slowly lower your hips back toward your heels and stretch your arms forward on the mat.
- Rest your forehead on the ground, breathing deeply, and stay in the pose for several breaths.
Heart-Opening Pose ~ Camel Pose ~ Ustrasana
So often are we hunching over a computer, phone or book which causes our shoulders to be tight with arms forward and back rounded. Heart-opening poses like Camel Pose, Ustrasana, can quite literally crack your heart open. I notice that there is a sense of freedom and transformation that is induced in this pose. By gently arching the back and lifting the chest, this pose encourages the release of negative emotions, such as grief, sadness, or fear. Camel pose stimulates the heart chakra, Anahata, which is our love center housing compassion, empathy and forgiveness for ourselves and others. This pose can help you let go of past hurt with a sense of emotional renewal.
How to do it:
- Kneel on the floor with your knees hip-width apart and your hands resting on your lower back.
- Slowly begin to arch your back, lifting your chest and reaching your hands down toward your heels.
- Keep your neck relaxed and your chest open, taking slow, deep breaths.
Legs Up the Wall ~ Viparita Karani
In traditional Chinese medicine, the legs are considered the second heart. Much of our blood is produced here since our legs house the largest bones in our body. Yes, our bones produce our blood cells! Because of the science behind the pose, Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall) is a simple yet incredibly efficient way to increase blood flow to the upper part of the body especially the brain. This restorative pose involves lying on your back with your legs extended vertically against a wall. There is a deep release of physical tension, especially in the legs and lower back. I find it difficult to be in a 'bad mood' while in this pose because it promotes deep relaxation and subtle energy. Enjoy the mood boosting benefits of having your legs up the wall through the sensation of emotional grounding.
How to practice the Legs up the wall pose:
- Sit next to a wall and then lie on your back, extending your legs up the wall.
- Let your arms rest by your sides or place your hands on your belly or heart.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath, allowing your body to soften into the ground.
Seated Forward Fold ~ Paschimottanasana
Encourage introspection with this seated forward fold that stretches out the spine and the mind. A lot of tension can build in the lower back and hamstrings that may compress the spine. A seated forward fold, Paschimottanasana, releases back tension to calm the nervous system bringing yourself back to neutral, parasympathetic mode. Many yogis appreciate this pose as it helps to release strong feelings especially of sadness and frustration. Movement is truly medicine. The folding inward in a metaphorical sense is the act of turning inward which invites emotional reflection and release.
How to do it:
- Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you, keeping your feet flexed.
- Inhale, lengthen your spine, and as you exhale, gently fold forward, bringing your chest toward your thighs.
- Hold onto your feet, ankles, or shins, and relax into the stretch.
Cat-Cow Pose ~ Marjaryasana-Bitilasana
This dynamic due Cat-Cow pose, Marjaryasana-Bitilasana, is a gentle flow between two poses that helps mobilize the spine and release tension in the neck, back, and shoulders. The alternating movement between arching the back like a cat and rounding the back like a cow, can be a helpful way to express and release emotions stored in the body. Be mindful of your breath in this pose. It's beneficial to inhale when you go into cat and exhale while moving into cow pose. This flow pose soothes the mind by releasing any pent-up energy in the spine and back. Quite literally, Cat-Cow brings fluidity not only to your spine but emotions.
How to do it:
- Start on all fours with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Inhale, arch your back, and lift your head and tailbone (Cow Pose).
- Exhale, round your spine, tuck your chin, and bring your tailbone toward your knees (Cat Pose).
- Continue moving between these two positions with each breath.
Bound Angle Pose ~ Baddha Konasana
Bound Angle Pose, Baddha Konasana, is a seated pose that opens the hips and groin area, which are often places where emotional tension can get trapped. Our poses muscle lives here. It is likely to tighten up due to excessive sitting, stress, limited mobility and weakness of the muscle. By allowing the body to open gently in this posture, you connect with an often overlooked part of your body. You can measure your progress by the angle of your knees towards the floor. The higher your knees are the tighter your psoas muscle while lower to the ground the more flexible, mobile your psoas muscle is. When you release the tension in this muscle region, this creates an opportunity for you to experience emotional release associated with feelings of vulnerability, fear, or insecurity. Many feel really open and vulnerable in the pose due to the sensitive area.
Have you ever heard 'trauma is stored in the hips'!?
Simple (Black and White) rhetoric disclaimer: There often is an oversimplification of the correlation of trauma and the body. Every part of the body has the potential to freeze up during a fight-flight response, or trauma response. However, that doesn't mean that simply by stretching there or having a cathartic emotional release now that trauma (mental wound) will disappear. With that being said, all these poses can be utilized to leverage emotional healing and help you integrate new belief patterns and self-understanding. Yet with anything there must be mind, body soul integration which will look different for each one of us.
How to practice Bound Angle Pose or Baddha Konasana:
- Sit on the floor with your spine tall, and bring the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall out to the sides.
- Hold your feet with your hands, and gently lean forward, deepening the stretch if it feels comfortable.
- Keep your back long and your breath steady.
Savasana ~ Corpse Pose
Another G.O.A.T. yoga pose is Savasana, or Corpse Pose, the final relaxation pose in most yoga sessions. Don't let it's simplicity prevent you from fully immersing yourself into the pose. There is a proud opportunity to release any remaining tension in the body and mind, especially after heavy emotions or rigorous movement. Savanna gives the practitioner time to integrate the benefits of the practice while allowing the body to process emotions that have been stirred up during the session. Add a meditation or a visualization practice to this pose if it feels aligned. Click here - for more on meditation and visualization types.
How to do it:
- Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms resting by your sides, palms facing up.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath, letting go of any remaining tension in your body.
- Stay in the pose for 5-10 minutes or longer.
The Emotional Restoration of Yoga
Yoga is more than just a collection of body poses. By positioning your body in these poses that promote openness and flow - providing a beautiful way to not only stretch and strengthen the body but also to support emotional healing. By practicing these poses regularly, you'll notice the subtle (or release of stored tension, the processing of emotions, the creation of sense of balance and calm in your life. Yoga is about connecting with yourself—both physically and emotionally—so be gentle with yourself while you are creating a safe inner space.
Thank yourself for taking time to nurture your mind, body, and spirit.
As we move through life, it is natural for our body to tense up due to trauma, blocked emotions and daily stresses. That is why I'm a big proponent on curating a unique wellness for yourself that touches all the bases of the mind, body and soul. These poses will help guide you toward emotional healing and relief, whether you’re working through stress, anxiety, or just need a moment of peace.
Namaste. The Source in me acknowledges the Source in you.
Till the next one - Saira 🪬
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