Effective Yoga Asanas to Stimulate Your Nervous System: Yoga is one of the best ways to energize and stimulate the nervous system, promote mindfulness and revitalize the body.
Doing these asanas daily can help maintain a healthy nervous system. These poses are suitable for all levels of yogis and offer simple yet powerful ways to boost overall wellness.
-
Contents
Viparita Karani
Viparita Karani is a restorative pose designed to relax. It increases lymphatic and venous circulation and decreases ankle/foot swelling while relieving back pain and lower leg and hip discomfort. Furthermore, this pose is perfect for bedtime as it will help relax you into restful slumber!
This pose involves lying on the floor with legs against a wall and using blankets for support to make the pose more comfortable. If this posture is beyond your ability, try raising just your hips and thighs slightly. It will provide many health benefits as well.
Yoga asana should be practiced either morning or evening, ensuring your stomach and bowels are empty prior to engaging in this pose. Otherwise, you could experience digestive discomfort. Pregnant women and individuals with uncontrolled high blood pressure should avoid performing this pose due to increased risk.
-
Legs Up the Wall
Legs Up the Wall is an extremely relaxing posture that activates the rest-and-digest mode of your nervous system, helping reduce levels of anxiety, stress and insomnia. Furthermore, this pose can relieve lower back tension as well as improve circulation throughout the upper body and head region.
Yoga practitioners refer to the legs-up-the-wall pose as viparita karani (or inverted pose) in Sanskrit. This pose allows your heart to slow down and relax more effectively by inverting. It triggers parasympathetic responses in your body and promotes a parasympathetic relaxation response.
For this pose, sit with your hips as close as possible to a wall and slide your buttocks up until your buttocks are a few feet from the floor. Use cushions or folded blankets for support if necessary. Then close your eyes as you breathe deeply for anywhere from several minutes up to twenty minutes (if possible). When ready, slowly return to a seated position without forcing yourself out, as this could strain your back.
-
Child Pose
Child Pose is a restorative yoga pose designed to connect practitioners with their inner peace. This calming pose can be done any time during the day and is especially effective after engaging in rigorous backends. Its relaxing qualities allow your body to recover after exertion.
Yoga Pose #3 can be performed from any position: kneeling position, all-fours position or standing. Most often, it is practiced from kneeling or all-fours positions after doing Downward Dog. This posture can help alleviate lower back issues as well as release tension in hips, chest, thighs and shoulders.
This yoga asana also stimulates a branch of the vagus nerve, helping to alleviate anxiety and stress. Furthermore, contact between the forehead and something (the floor, blanket, bolster or fists) triggers parasympathetic nervous system stimulation. Also, it leads to relaxation and lower heart rates – making this pose ideal for individuals suffering from anxiety or depression.
-
Reclining Bound Angle Pose
The reclining Bound Angle Pose is an easily accessible pose with numerous physical and psychological advantages. As a restorative supine posture, it gently opens hips and inner groin while simultaneously encouraging deep relaxation.
This pose can help relieve back and hip discomfort as well as stimulate digestion, reduce anxiety and promote feelings of peace and tranquillity. Although this pose can be practised any time of the day, doing it first thing in the morning helps prepare your body and mind for what lies ahead. Also, while doing it before sleep helps relax both body and mind before sleeping soundly.
For this pose, lie on your back with feet together, knees wide open, and arms rested beside your body with palms facing up. Take some deep breaths as you hold this pose for 1-5 minutes or longer while allowing your body to settle deeper into relaxation.
-
Downward Facing Dog
Downward Facing Dog is an invigorating full-back body pose that both grounds and energizes. It opens the chest while strengthening arms and wrists. Additionally, it helps align limbs and deepen breathing while stimulating meridians (long channels running from the inner eye over head to pinkie toe). Particularly bladder meridians, which helps improve organ functionality like liver, and kidney and stomach.
Start from the tabletop (hands and knees), spreading your fingers with wrist creases pointing forwards along the front edge of the mat. Press your palms firmly against the outer knuckles of the outer fingers, root thumbs, and index fingers as needed.
Slowly lengthen the spine, creating more space along it and relieving tension from hamstrings and hips. While this process may take some time to produce results. Bending knees to avoid rounding of the lower back will prevent rounding too far forward. Adding blocks or yoga wedges may reduce the angle of hands to reduce the angle of hand position and take pressure off wrists.
-
Triangle Pose
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) stimulates the nervous system by challenging balance and building strength in its core. This pose can help alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression by inducing relaxation. You can do it lying on your back with cushions underneath your knees or hips for added support.
For this pose, start in a wide stance with feet a foot apart and facing the long edge of your mat. Turn both feet out 90 degrees while turning in 15 degrees so they press into each other and engage core muscles for stability. Press down through feet while engaging core muscles for stabilization as you bring shoulders forward to form a straight line from the head down the spine. Extend your right arm at shoulder height, reaching down towards either your shin, ankle or resting on a block depending on ability. Then reach forward with right arm at shoulder height to create a straight line from the head down the spine. Press down through feet while engaging core muscle activation for stability as you engage core stabilization of course!
There may be an urge to arch your back in this position, but be wary not to overstretch and hyperextend your spine. If you experience back discomfort, consult with a yoga professional first before engaging in this position.
-
Warrior II
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) is an essential pose found in most yoga flows, challenging balance while strengthening leg muscles and the core. Additionally, this position makes an excellent preparatory posture for other standing poses. It requires external rotation of the front leg, such as Trikonasana, Parsvakonasana and Ardha Chandrasana.
This pose offers tremendous emotional growth opportunities by helping yogis learn to find peace even during difficult situations. Also it develops greater strength and stability within themselves.
Note: Please keep in mind that this posture may cause discomfort if your front knee is not bent enough or you have back/neck issues. In these instances, it is wise to consult your physician prior to beginning this pose. Also it’s advisable to try it a few times on each side before progressing onto more advanced forward bends.
-
Corpse Pose
Corpse Pose, commonly referred to as Savasana, is an ideal way to relax the mind and promote deep, restful sleep. Savasana helps reduce levels of stress hormones in the body while encouraging sound sleep patterns.
Though Savasana seems simple enough, many yoga students find it challenging to master. Even experienced yogis who can balance, twist, and bend for extended classes often struggle with relaxing during Savasana.
A key principle when practising corpse meditation is to relax all tension. Striking up tension will only distract your mind and create more anxiety. So if lying flat on your back is uncomfortable for you, consider placing a blanket or towel under it as support. Pregnant women might prefer a lying position with a bolster between their legs for added comfort.
Read also: Immunizations ! Protection from sickness How can you protect yourself from illness?
Read also: Master Guide to Regular health check ups 2024
