Reduce Anxiety in Just 3 Minutes with Yoga

Have you had a stressful situation like the one I had just yesterday? My toddler peed on the couch just after leaving Legos and puzzle pieces all over the floor (which I stepped on in trying to clean up), the phone was ringing, and, God help me, she wanted more water—with lots of ice.

We have all had stressful moments that make us feel like we can’t keep our sanity. Many medical and psychological professionals encourage slowing down and taking some deep breaths. That is great if that works for you, but taking a deep breath and counting to 4 (thanks, Daniel Tiger) never works for me. I need more to manage my feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. When you find yourself in the middle of a stressful moment, you can try this easy, three-pose yoga sequence that can help you reduce your anxiety quickly.

This sequence works for me because it’s similar to progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), a stress-relieving practice, and incorporates diaphragmatic breathing, an effective breath technique that helps regulate the nervous system and enables relaxation. Physician Edmund Jacobson published his PMR approach in 1929, “which detailed a procedure for removing muscular tension. But since the exercises in the book were designed to relieve pressure that was as much psychological as physical, Jacobson's work led to a surge in the use of the word ‘relax’” (BBC). His idea is similar to yoga in that you practice physical poses (asana) to reduce tension in order to prepare for the calm of meditation.

You can practice PMR by tensing one part of your body at a time for 5 to 10 seconds, then release and feel the ease that comes to that muscle group. After a couple of breaths, you move to another section of the body (WebMD).

Following this approach, this sequence begins with tensing the body and is followed by a release.

Chair Pose

1. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Start with the heat and tensing Chair Pose. In this pose you should be activating your body from your feet to the crown of your head.

Try It:

Come to stand with your feet hip-width apart or together. Bend your knees, bringing your hips behind you (not under you). Press down into the 4 corners of your feet, keeping your lower body engaged. Bring your arms up by your ears. Straighten and activate your arms so that someone wouldn’t be able to move them if they tried. Your chest will hinge forward some, but try to keep your shoulders pulling down and back so your back doesn’t round forward. Keep your knees aligned above your ankles. Hold the pose for about 45 seconds.

2. Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

Standing Forward Fold

This is a calming and cooling pose that offers a release after building tension and heat in Chair Pose.

Try It:

From standing or Chair Pose, fold forward at the waist and bend your knees some. Bring your hands down toward the ground—even if you don’t reach—and let your head hang. You can gently swing a little side to side to bring a little awareness to different parts of your back. Stay here for about 45 to 60 seconds before rolling up.

3. Crocodile Pose (Makarasana)

Crocodile Pose

The final pose—Crocodile Pose—is my favorite place to practice diaphragmatic breathing, which is considered effective in managing stress (Mayo Clinic). Yoga International says “there is no pose better than Crocodile Pose for the combination of diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation.”

Try It:

Gently come down to your hands and knees, then lay all the way down on the floor face down. You can bring your forearms together or stack your hands to rest under your forehead. Let your toes turn out to the sides and your heels will roll in toward the midline. Focus on your breath. As you breathe you will feel your belly press into the floor and your ribs expand out to the sides and up to the ceiling. Stay here for at least a minute, letting your body release into the ground and observing the sensations of your breath. When you are ready come up slowly.

This series that can be done within three minutes and can be just what you need to catch your breath when you feel overwhelmed. If you are in a place where you don’t want to lie down for the final pose, just find a place to sit and focus on slowing and expanding your breath. However, if you only have a minute and can lie down, Crocodile Pose is the ultimate pose for managing anxiety and promoting relaxation.