Yoga continues to grow in popularity as people experience its physical and mental benefits. Developing a personal yoga practice can help prevent and reduce stress, which is a common goal among people who want to create positive growth and focus on self-improvement.

In addition to physical postures, your yoga routine can include breathing, meditation, and relaxation techniques like yoga nidra. Continue reading to learn more about the stress-relieving benefits of yoga and how you can use your practice to enhance your well-being.

How does yoga help alleviate stress and anxiety?

Yoga encourages mental and physical relaxation, which helps reduce stress and anxiety. The physical postures promote flexibility, relieve tension, and alleviate pain.

Yoga poses may help you release physical blockages like muscle knots, helping release emotions and tension. They also promote the release of mood-boosting endorphins, which are the feel-good hormones that can positively affect how you handle stress.

Focusing on the present moment during your yoga practice enhances your awareness, boosts your concentration, and centers your mind.

As you become aware of the transitory nature of your bodily sensations, thoughts, and feelings, you may find it easier to let go of attachments to positive, negative, and neutral experiences. You may also learn to cultivate feelings such as love, joy, and serenity.

What does the research say about yoga for stress?

Plenty of scientific evidence supports the stress-relieving benefits of yoga.

According to a 2018 study, yoga had a positive result on women who practiced Hatha yoga 3 times a week for 4 weeks. After 12 sessions, they experienced significant reductions in stress, depression, and anxiety.

These results suggest that yoga can be a complementary medicine and may decrease the need for prescription drugs. More in-depth studies are required to investigate the long-term role of yoga in treating stress, depression, and anxiety.

A small 2020 study in adult men suggested that yoga stretches reduce cortisol levels and have a positive effect on parasympathetic nerve activity, which encourages relaxation.

Researchers in another 2020 study found that people who did an 11-minute yoga nidra meditation for 30 days reduced their stress levels, enhanced their overall well-being, and improved their sleep quality.

Practicing yoga nidra also boosted mindfulness and reduced negative emotions. These benefits stayed the same at a follow-up 6 weeks later.

How to use yoga breathing to alleviate stress

Breathing exercises, known as pranayama in Sanskrit, teach you to relax, regulate your breath, and breathe deeply. This helps reduce stress and calm your body and mind. Breathing techniques can also enhance your sleep quality and encourage mindfulness.

You can do breathing exercises during your yoga practice or when you want to focus on relaxation throughout the day. These techniques are also useful when you experience uncomfortable emotions or difficult situations.

A few popular types of pranayama include:

alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana)

ujjayi breathing

breath of fire (kapalabhati)

lion’s breath (simhasana)

sitali breath

humming bee breath (bhramari)