Health
1. ‘Happy Hormones’ Boost Your Mood Naturally—Here’s How to Activate Them
2. Endorphins and other so-called happy hormones can benefit your mood and well-being—and exercise isn’t the only way to get a boost.
Mindset
1. How Habit Loops Can Help You Follow Through with Your Fitness and Wellness Goals.
2. The good news: There are ways you can game the process and make it a little easier to stay consistent through a strategy called habit loops.
3. The same mental process that has engrained behaviors into our everyday routine can also help us build habits that last.
10 Yoga Poses for Stress Relief to Try
These yoga poses are just a few favorites of our Peloton instructors. These poses are designed to calm your mind and help reduce stress and anxiety:
1. Sun Salutation Pose
The sun salutation pose is actually a series of postures that warms, strengthens, and aligns the entire body. The simplest of these is as follows:
Stand with your feet slightly apart and parallel to each other. Stretch your arms (though not rigidly) down alongside your torso with your palms turned out and your shoulders relaxed. Inhale and sweep your arms overhead in wide arcs. If your shoulders are tight, keep your hands apart and gaze straight ahead. Otherwise, bring your palms together, drop your head back and gaze up at your thumbs.
2. Sitting Pose
Sitting postures are those asanas that start with you sitting down on the floor or in a chair. Try this basic sitting pose:
Sit on the floor and stretch your legs out straight in front of you. Next, bend your right leg at the knee, placing your right foot on your left thigh with the help of your hands. Then, fold your left leg as well at the knee, holding it with your hands, and bring it to rest on your right thigh. Both of your feet should be close to your navel. Be sure that the soles of your feet are turned upward. Now, stretch your arms out, letting your palms rest against your knees. Sit erect while maintaining this posture.
3. Child’s Pose
This pose helps sooth your adrenal glands, which tend to overreact when intensely stressed. The stretch focuses on your back, hips, thighs and ankles.
Start on your hands and knees, then sit back over your heels with your hands out in front of you. You then slowly fold forward until your forehead rests on the yoga mat. Allow your big toes to touch either with your knees together or separated. If you wish, you can stack your hands and rest your head on your forearms or simply extend your arms out in front of you. Remain in this pose for at least 10 breaths. With each exhale, try to release as much air as you can.
The child’s pose helps to stretch your back and muscles around your hips. In this pose, kneel and sit on your knees. Lean forward, keeping your buttocks on your heels, and rest your forehead on the floor. Move your arms so they’re next to your legs, palms facing up. Inhale and exhale, slowly and deeply, for at least eight breaths.
4. Happy Baby Pose
For this fun pose, lie flat on your back on the floor or a mat. With your head flat on the mat, bend your knees toward your chest at a 90-degree angle. Face the soles of your feet up toward the ceiling. Reaching forward, grab and hold the inside or outside of your feet and spread your knees apart, shifting them toward your armpits. Then, flex your heels into your hands and gently rock from side-to-side. Remain in this position for several breaths while inhaling and exhaling deeply
Happy Baby Pose is a gentel and sooting pose that’s great increasing relaxation and stretching the body. It involves lying on your back and roling from side to side.
Happy Baby Pose is a relatively easy movement, so it;s ideal for beginners. Instructors often include the poses near the beginning or end of a yoga or pilates classes due to its calming effect.
5. Thread the Needle Pose
Begin this pose on all fours. Then, take your left arm and begin to thread it across the mat and over to the right side of the mat. Next, gently drop down to your shoulder and the left side of your head. Your right arm can stay supporting you or you can reach it overhead or wrap it around your back. Hold this posture for 3-5 minutes on each side, then come down very slowly.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
6. Standing Forward Fold Pose
Designed to promote calmness and balance your nervous system, this yoga pose stretches your hamstrings, calves, hips and back, helping to reduce stress and fatigue. It also stimulates the liver and kidneys, and it helps relieve headaches and insomnia.
From a standing position, you bend your knees and hinge forward from your hips, placing your hands in front of your feet. Make sure you engage your core and exhale as you fold. Then shift your weight to the balls of your feet. If your hamstrings are tight, bend your knees slightly to avoid straining your lower back.
7. Cobra Pose
For this pose, place your palms flat on the ground directly under your shoulders. Then bend your elbows straight back and hug them into your sides. Pause for a moment looking straight down at your mat with your neck in a neutral position and while anchoring your pubic bone to the floor. Next, inhale to lift your chest off the floor. Roll your shoulders back but keep your low ribs on the floor. Make sure your elbows continue hugging your side without winging out to either side. Do not crank up your head. Keep your gaze fixed on the floor. Hold this pose for up to 30 seconds while maintaining even breathing. To release, exhale, drop your head to the floor and lower your body by using your arms.
8. Cat Pose
This pose mostly focuses on stretching your lower back, but also affects the muscles of your hips, upper back and lungs, releasing tension, increasing spinal flexibility and mobility, and creating emotional balance.
You start on your hands and knees (like a cat), and exhale while drawing your stomach into your spine and rounding your back to the ceiling as far as you can. The top of your head should be pointing to the floor. Inhale has you return to your original position. Repeat this movement 10 times, remembering to keep your shoulders relaxed and your arms straight.
- Improves Posture. Cat Pose helps in stretching the muscles in your back, which improves your posture. …
- Reduces Stress. Cat Pose is a gentle, relaxing pose that can help to reduce stress and anxiety. …
9. Reclined Twist Pose
Start this pose by lying on your back with your arms out, so you’re a T-shape. Then move your hips a little over the right and bring your knees over to the left. You can support your knees with a bolster or blocks. Hold this position for 3-5 minutes. To come out of the pose, simply bring your knees over your hips and then repeat on the other side.
10. Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
To perform this pose, sit on the floor facing a wall. Lower your head and shoulders to the floor, lying on your side. Then, roll onto your back and stretch your legs up the wall with your feet comfortably hip-distance apart. You can adjust your position by moving your tailbone toward the wall. Find a comfortable position for your arms at your sides with your palms turned up. Relax your legs against the wall and release all effort. Settle into the pose and breathe. Hold this position for at least 10 minutes. To come out of the pose, bend your knees and roll to your side. Remain there for a few breaths before using your arms to slowly push yourself back up to a seated position.
Looking for more yoga? Try the where you can filter via options such as class time, type, or instructor to find the right Peloton Yoga class to fit your individual needs.
Find out more about Peloton’s including those specifically designed to release stress.
