5 Restorative Poses to Balance Your Hormones
This relaxing yoga sequence will help get your hormones back on track.
If you’re living with high stress or anxiety, having trouble losing weight, constantly hungry, getting poor sleep, and/or feeling depressed, it could be a sign of a hormonal imbalance. Many people rely on medications to treat the side effects of hormonal imbalances, which can in turn have their own set of negative side effects. However, mind-body practices like yoga are rapidly becoming a more popular, more natural form of treatment. Yoga can help reduce the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) in your body.
The five yoga poses below will bring those stress levels down and help to get your hormones back in balance. Try doing them daily for the best results.
Fish Pose with Back Support
Opening up the tightness in your chest, neck, and shoulders is a great way to let go of stress and tension.
Roll a blanket up into a tight roll. Sit on the ground with your legs together and place the rolled blanket at the base of your spine. Lie back onto the blanket and rest your head on the ground. Stretch your arms out by your sides and lay the backs of your hands on the ground. Lift your chest and roll your shoulders down and back. Tilt your chin up to stretch your neck and further open up the front of your body for a relaxing stretch. Breathe deeply.
Legs Up the Wall with Back Support
Inversions (upside down postures) are excellent for refreshing our blood flow and giving new perspective to our emotional state.
Lay a folded up blanket on the ground about 3 inches from the wall. Sit down on the blanket, setting your butt as close to the wall as possible. Lift your legs straight up the wall and adjust your position until your back is centered on the blanket and you are comfortable. Straighten your hips and legs until your feet point straight up to the ceiling. Lay your arms down by your sides and tilt your head slightly back until you find a comfortable resting position. Settle in and breathe.
Sphinx Pose with Elbow Support
A lot of our stress can be trapped in our hip flexors and shoulders. This sphinx pose elongates your hip flexors. As you work to press your elbows into the blanket, the stress will be released from your neck.
Lie on the ground, belly down. Place a folded blanket under your elbows to make the pose more comfortable and give you some height. Stretch your legs out straight and press your hips into the ground. Press your elbows into the blanket and reach your head up tall. Lift your chest to extend your heart through your arms. Breathe deep and settle into the pose.
Forward Fold with Knee Support
Forward folds are great for stretching stiff back muscles. This supported version will help you focus on your back while giving your hamstrings a break.
Sit down on the ground. Place a folded blanket right under your knees, allowing the backs of your knees to rest on it. Fold forward over your legs and stretch your arm out long in front of you. As you settle in, try to close the gap between your chest and thighs and rest your forehead on your knees.
Savasana with Knee Support
Our final resting pose. As simple as this may look, it’s truly one of the most effective stress-relieving poses.
Lie on your back and place a folded blanket underneath your knees. Roll your shoulders back and down and rest your arms on the ground beside you. Relax every muscle in your body and sink into relaxation.
Read the full article on blog.PaleoHacks.com.
All images courtesy of Jessica Gouthro.
