5 Yoga Poses to Help You Chill Out

You can spend your entire life learning how to relax. The pursuit of a calm inner climate—physical, mental, and emotional—is a fundamental part of what it is to be human. So when you learn a tool that provides relief from stress, tension, and the frantic nature of the modern world, it can be cause of (calm) celebration.

Although the practice of any type of yoga promotes relaxation (trust us: aligning breath and body is among the most easiest routes to tranquility), there are certain poses that offer near-instant ease. On those days when a full practice isn’t a possibility, a few moments or minutes in these shapes will help you find your chill.

5 Yoga Poses for Relaxation

Real relaxation is about surrender and release. Rather than force yourself into a shape and create strain to hold the pose, make sure that your chosen pose is as restorative as possible by allowing yourself to release any tension and allow the pose to hold you. Grabbing props can help, whether you reach for blocks, blankets, bolsters, bed pillows, a cozy sweater, an eye mask, or anything else you may need for access and ultimate comfort.

1. Child’s Pose

There’s a reason that many teachers recommend Child’s Pose as a mid-class respite. The compressive pose serves as a pause point and asks that you turn your awareness inward. If you need some lessons in letting go, spend a few minutes in Child’s Pose. You’ll quickly learn that the shape gives you more when you do less.

2. Cat/Cow

These two poses come as a pair and encourage intuitive movement, breath-body alignment, and tension release. Cat and Cow Pose are embodiments of your exhalations and inhalations, your spine rounding as you exhale and arching as you inhale, with you continually moving in sync with your breath. Once you start moving in this way, you’ll quickly discover that your mind and body are more spacious than you previously believed.

3. Legs Up the Wall

This inversion is among the quickest ways to encourage your body to wind down. Legs Up the Wall is thought to ease anxiety, headaches, even insomnia. One YJ editor went through a stressful phase of city living throughout which she relied on this pose to lull her to sleep each night. And yes, it worked every single time.

4. Reclining Bound Angle Pose

Savasana has its time and place, but for a laid-back pose that’s both relaxing and energizing, Reclining Bound Angle is worthy of your downtime. The pose invites you to breathe deeply while opening across your chest, hips, thighs, and more. Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly as you feel into your inhalations and exhalations. You’ll find that it’s easier than you thought to release your body and your tension into the mat.

5. Puppy Pose

For the ultimate relaxation inspiration, look to the behavior of dogs. Puppy Pose helps to release the tension and tightness in the upper back, shoulders, and neck that comes from our modern routines. Elongation through the arms and spine encourage additional ease. The subtle inversion opens your chest while encouraging a sense of grounding—and isn’t that what we’re all after?