Release the stress with these 8 fine yoga poses

If you believe yoga is solely about complex poses and contorting your body into challenging positions, it’s worth noting that there are various types of yoga to explore. For instance, gentle yoga is an accessible option for nearly everyone, from beginners to seasoned practitioners.

“Gentle yoga provides a mindful and compassionate approach to movement,” says Sarah Cummins, E-RYT 500, RYT 200, YACEP, a yoga instructor and certified personal trainer. “It’s often designed to be inclusive, ensuring that everyone can participate comfortably.”

What Is Gentle Yoga?

Gentle yoga is a slow, calming practice where poses are typically held for extended periods.

“Gentle yoga can vary based on the instructor’s style or training background,” Cummins explains. “It often combines a slow flow with longer restorative poses, incorporating breathwork and meditation.”

While each class is unique, here’s what you might expect in a gentle yoga session, according to Cummins:

• Guidance on safe and proper body alignment.
• Tips for using props like blocks, straps, blankets, and bolsters to support alignment and relaxation.
• Fewer transitions between sitting, standing, kneeling, and lying positions for a smoother, more relaxed experience.
• Multiple options and modifications to meet practitioners at their skill level and allow for exploration of poses.

Types of Gentle Yoga

Some yoga studios offer “slow flow” classes, which are a gentler form of Vinyasa yoga. Additionally, restorative yoga and Yin yoga are considered “gentle” yoga practices.

While both restorative and Yin yoga are gentle on the body, they differ in focus:

Restorative Yoga: Includes five or six calming poses held for several minutes, often supported by props. The goal is complete relaxation, releasing tension from the muscles.

Yin Yoga: Holds fewer poses for longer durations (three to five minutes), targeting deeper layers of connective tissue to enhance flexibility, mobility, and energy flow. Most Yin poses are floor-based and may feel more intense than restorative yoga.

Is Gentle Yoga Good for Beginners?

Gentle yoga is an excellent starting point for beginners. “It allows students to move slowly and mindfully, practicing yoga safely,” says Cummins. However, it’s not exclusively for newcomers.

“It’s a beneficial practice for all ages, regardless of flexibility. It’s also ideal for pregnant individuals and those recovering from injuries,” she adds.

Gentle Yoga Sequence

Gentle yoga can include seated, standing, and lying poses. Any yoga practice can be made gentler by incorporating props, avoiding deep stretches, or moving at a slower pace.

Programs like Yoga52 and Beachbody Yoga Studio on BODi offer calming practices you can do at home to unwind after work, cool down after a workout, or prepare for bed.

If you’d like to create your own flow, here are some poses to try:

1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkpuvlwzfho

• Stand with your big toes touching and heels slightly apart. Rest your arms at your sides with palms facing forward.
• Engage your thighs and lengthen your tailbone to create a long spine.
• Lift your chest, drawing your shoulder blades back and down.
• Align your ears over your shoulders and your head over your ankles.
• Take deep breaths (consider holding for one minute).

2. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR6P23O822S

• Start in Mountain Pose with feet hip-width apart (or slightly wider). Place yoga blocks in front of your feet. Take a deep breath.
• Exhale, bend your knees slightly, hinge at your hips, and place your hands on the blocks.
• Gaze toward your feet and bend your knees as needed.
• Shift your weight forward, aligning your hips over your heels.
• Hold for at least three breaths.
• Inhale and return to Mountain Pose. Press into your feet and engage your core to support your lower back as you rise.

3. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohdmbnojnc4

• Start on all fours with hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Touch your big toes together.
• Lower your hips back toward your heels, resting your belly between your thighs and your forehead on the mat.
• Extend your arms forward or rest them behind you by your heels.
• Hold for several breaths or minutes.

4. Cat-Cow Stretch (Bitilasana and Marjaryasana)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa4zms5m7xa

Inhale: Cow Pose

• From Child’s Pose, return to all fours with a flat back and neutral neck gaze.
• Inhale, lifting your tailbone and chest toward the ceiling, dropping your belly toward the mat.
• Draw your shoulders away from your ears, lifting your head to align with your torso.
• Exhale into Cat Pose.

Exhale: Cat Pose

• Rounding your spine, tuck your tailbone and draw your chin toward your chest.
• Inhale back into Cow Pose.
• Repeat for 10 breaths or longer as desired.

5. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)

• Start sitting on your mat with legs extended forward. Bend your knees slightly and place your hands on the floor beside you.
• Soften your knees (optional: place a blanket under them).
• Engage your core and hinge at your hips to fold forward. Reach toward your feet without rounding your back or forcing the stretch.
• Hold for five or more breaths. With each exhale, release further into the pose. Inhale to return to upright.

6. Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vawm7h8yga

• Sit with your sit bones grounded and feet flat beneath you (avoid tucking your tailbone).
• Touch the soles of your feet together and open your knees wide (optional: place blocks under your knees for support).
• Slide your heels closer to your pelvis.
• Hold your feet with your hands, wrapping your fingers around the edges.
• Sit tall with an open chest.
• Optional: Hinge forward at your hips, keeping your back straight.
• Hold for at least five breaths or one minute.

7. Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e0jwl8yyde

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the mat.
• Bring your knees toward your chest and grab the outer edges of your feet.
• Gently pull your knees toward your armpits.
• Ground your tailbone into the mat (optional: rock side to side).
• Hold for several deep breaths.

8. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

• Lie on your back with arms resting comfortably at your sides, palms facing up.
• Relax your shoulders away from your ears.
• Let your legs fall open naturally, heels touching the edges of your mat.
• Close your eyes, relax your body, and breathe deeply for at least five minutes.