Yoga and Holistic Healing Tools for Anxiety and Stress

Anxiety and chronic stress are among the most common health issues today. The fast pace of modern life can raise cortisol levels in the body, which can negatively affect overall health. Over time, ongoing stress can impact both mental and physical well-being for many people.

Yoga and Mindfulness help improve emotional regulation, help cope with stress and provide grounding. Gentle, slow-paced somatic movement and yoga styles such as yin/restorative yoga, which utilises passive poses with props, are deeply calming for the nervous system as slow holds help release tension and encourage stillness. Cleansing sound techniques, affirmations, meditation, qigong, energy medicine, breathing practices and various relaxation techniques such as guided deep relaxation/Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep) can help reduce anxiety & stress by activating the relaxation response of the parasympathetic nervous system, significantly reduce anxiety, down-regulate stress hormones and improve sleep.

Yoga slows down and deepens breathing, calms the nervous system, shifting your body from “fight-or-flight” into “rest and digest” mode. This lowers heart rate, blood pressure and overall tension. It encourages mindfulness, builds mind–body awareness by connecting movement with breath and helps you notice stress signals earlier (tight shoulders, shallow breathing, racing thoughts) so you can respond before anxiety escalates. It reduces muscle tension with gentle stretching and mindful movement releasing physical tightness that often accompanies stress and anxiety. 

3x4 yoga for anxiety and stress 

All the exercises and holistic healing tools described below are powerful and effective, offering support during times of anxiety and stress in your life. Practice them consistently—even five minutes a day can make a difference—and focus on slow, deep breathing. When you’re feeling stressed, choose gentle, nurturing approaches rather than intense workouts.

This program consists of 12 exercises (3 parts, 4 poses/exercises in each part):

Part 1 (1-4): Centering, grounding, breath work and somatic movements

Part 2 (5-8): Calming and restorative poses

Part 3 (9-12): Relaxation poses

How to Practice with Affirmations:

Repeat each affirmation 3–6 times, matching one affirmation per slow breath. If anxiety is high, whispering the words can be very grounding. You can choose just 1–3 poses and affirmations when your time or energy is low.

Part 1 (1-4)

 1. Seated meditation (Sukhasana):

Sit in comfortable position with your back upright. Practice meditation, affirmations and breath awareness for about 2-5 minutes. Sit cross-legged, spine tall, hands together or resting on knees. Slow, steady breathing. This grounds the body, quiets the mind, reduces racing thoughts and helps with entering. Then bring your thumbs together and on your heart center and make an intention for opening your yoga practice.

Affirmation: 

For Anxiety relief you can repeat silently: “I am safe. “I am present. I am grounded.” If you are feeling stress and find yourself overthinking, focus only on the sensation of breath at the nose, inhaling slowly and exhaling long.

Additionally, you can use the sound of the heart “Haaa “ for cleansing blocked energy and bring a sense of calm. Inhale and exhale with the sound Haaa. It vibrates in the chest, heart, pericardium, san jiao, and thyroid. Transforms blocked emotions such as anxiety and self-doubt into joy, love, inner guidance, and gratitude. 

5-4-3-2-1 mindfulness technique:

This technique can also be used as a start of the meditation and yoga practice. It is helpful to manage anxiety, stress or overwhelm by focusing on the present moment through the senses. Start with a deep, slow breath to center yourself. Then identify 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste. 

2. Breath work (2–3 minutes)

Breath work brings calm, balances the nervous system, lowers anxiety, improves focus.

Option A : Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)

Close one nostril at a time while breathing slowly through the other. Inhale through one nostril, exhale through the other, switch. Option B: Box breathing

Inhale 4 counts, hold 4, exhale 4 and hold 4. Continue and practice 4-5 rounds.

Option C: Humming

Inhale through your nose and hum a low, steady note on a slow, controlled exhale for 1-5 minutes. 

Affirmation: “With each breath, I restore balance and calm.”

3. Cat–Cow flow  (Marjaryasana–Bitilasana)

On hands and knees, arch the spine (cow) on inhale, round it (cat) on exhale. Move with the breath. It releases tension in spine, eases stress held in the back and neck.

Affirmation: “I release tension and move with ease.”

4. Downward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Lift hips up and back, forming an inverted “V”. Lengthen the spine, relax the head. This pose relieves tension, improves circulation, reduces mental fatigue.

Affirmation: “I let go of stress and create space in my body and mind.”

Part 2 (5-8)

5. Sphinx pose

Lying on your belly, forearms on the floor, chest gently lifted.  Bring fingers together and place your thumbs on the “Yintang“ acupressure point in Chinese medicine. This is a calming acupressure point.  Sphinx pose gently energizes, relieves stress in the spine, improves mood without overstimulation.

Affirmation:  “I feel steady, open, and supported.”

6. Child’s pose (Balasana):

Kneel, sit back on heels, forehead down, arms relaxed or lifted. Practice deep belly breathing. This is a deeply calming pose which promotes a sense of safety and surrender.

Affirmation: “I allow myself to rest and be supported.”

7. Reclined Butterfly pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

Lying on your back, soles of feet together, knees relaxed open. This is a deeply calming pose which opens hips and chest, eases anxiety and emotional tension.

Affirmation: “I allow myself to relax and receive support.”

8. Knees-to-Chest Pose (Apanasana)

Hug knees into chest while lying on your back. Gentle rocking if comfortable. Reduces tension in lower back, creates emotional comfort.

Affirmation: “I nurture myself with compassion and care.”

Part 3 (9-12)

9. Resting pose with belly breath

Lie on back, knees bent, feet on the floor, place your hands on the belly. Start practicing belly (diaphragmatic) breathing. Inhale 4 seconds, exhale 6 second slowly and smoothly into your belly. Feel the expansion of your abdomen under your hand. This pose teaches the body to relax deeply, calms down the nervous system and is very effective for anxiety relief.

Affirmation: “My body knows how to relax.”

10. Legs-Up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani)

Lie on back with legs elevated vertically. Let gravity do the work. Practice 3–5 minute. This pose  activates relaxation response, reduces stress and fatigue.

Affirmation: “I surrender control and trust the process.”

11. Deep Relaxation (Savasana) pose 

Place a pillow under knees or head for comfort and cover yourself with a blanket. You can use eye pillows and lavender oil for extra help with deeper relaxation. This is a full body relaxation which brings deep nervous system reset and lowers cortisol. Practice for 3–5 minutes or longer.

Affirmation: “I am deeply relaxed and restored.”

12. Seated Heart-Center Breathing

For closing your practice, sit comfortably, placing one hand on heart, one on belly. Take deep, slow breaths into the chest and abdomen. This reduces anxiety, increases emotional regulation and calm. You can think about 3 things that you are grateful for as a gratitude practice.

Affirmation: “I breathe in calm and breathe out worry.”

For more information on breathing and meditation techniques visit this link: https://www.holisticwellnessdivya.com/meditation-breathing-techniques

How to practice 4 Energy Medicine techniques:

1.Triple Warmer Spleen Hug:

If you are feeling anxious and need to clm down try this posıtıon to balance the triple warmer meridian and spleen energy channels. Hug yourself by placing your right hand on your spleen and left hand on the outer side of your right arm (triple warmer meridian) for calming down your nervous system (fight and flight)

2.Self hug/heart-hold grounding pose:

This pose gently calms the nervous system and creates a feeling of safety and comfort. It helps slow breathing and reduce anxiety. Cross arms over chest, bringing fingers under armpits. Relax shoulders and close eyes. Breathe slowly for 1–3 minutes. You can repeat the affirmation “I am safe right now.”

3.Triple Warmer Smoothie: 

It helps calm the triple warmer meridian, which is responsible for fight-flight response of the nervous system. Begin with a neutral position, arms beside your body. As you inhale, bring fingers together and place the thumbs on the third eye, between the eyebrows. Hold position as you take a deep breath in and out. Exhaling, place your hands on your eyes with the elbows facing outwards. Hold for one deep breath, in and out. On the next exhalation, slide your finger tips on your temples. Hold this position for one more deep breath, in and out. Inhale and smooth your fingers behind your ears, and as you exhale, hang your hands on the top of your shoulders, pressing your fingers gently into your shoulders. Hold for one cycle of breath. Slowly cross your hands down the middle of your chest, on your heart chakra. Hold still, with your eyes closed, take two deep breaths there. 

4.Neuro-vascular Hold:

This practice releases stress and anxiety. The NV reflex points are most frequently used for managing stress and blood flow. They can be touched or held to boost blood circulation and draw the blood back up into the brain. This allows you to think clearly and re-center emotionally. Using these points also trains your mind to meet stress, with a regulated state of nervous system. 

Place one hand on forehead and the other hand on the base of the skull. Gently hold these main neurovascular (NV) reflex points for about one minute. 

Source: Donna Eden method

For more personalised calming and grounding yoga, qigong, breathing and relaxation techniques, energy medicine and mindfulness meditation practice, book a free trial class: bestedolanay@gmail.com