Good Afternoon! As a yoga teacher, I meet all types of people that weave the studio and a regular yoga practice into their busy lives. Although it is not always at the forefront of their mind, most everyone arrives seeking a form of personal development, growth, and better well-being. Many find yoga as a means of recovering from an physical illness, to reduce stress, or to add a little zen into his or her life. The few times I have mentioned my anxiety at the studio, I am overwhelmed by how many around me are interested to know more and share their own struggles with it. I am also commonly asked about the poses that target anxiety. Therefore, today I am sharing my favorite pose for anxiety: legs up the wall pose.
Legs up the wall pose (Viparita Karani – in Sanskrit), is a passive inversion. Overall, this pose reduces anxiety and stress, lowers your heart rate, and reduces back tension, swelling, or feet pain.
There are also claims online that say Legs-up-the-wall relieves fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, and menopause.
How to Do Legs Up the Wall
- Lie on the floor on your back.
- Scoot your seat up against a wall.
- Relax your feet above your hips so your legs are up against a wall (vertically in the air).
- Hands can rest on your belly, by your side, or up above your head but rested on the ground. Choose whichever is most relaxing for you.
- Hang there 5-10 minutes to calm your mind. Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
- Your toes may go numb over the course of 5-10 minutes. This is because there is less blood volume in your toes due to gravity. If you dislike the numbness, call your legs-up-the-wall session complete and finish in savasana (corpse pose).
Benefits of Legs Up the Wall Pose
Our heart pumps blood throughout our body and when we are standing it has to work a little harder to get the used blood from our feet all the way back up to our heart.
By lying on our backs with our legs up the wall, gravity assists your blood back to your heart so your heart physically does not have to pump as hard. This physical reaction causes your body to immediately slow down your heart rate. Our physical body is directly connected to our mental body, which why we sweat when we are nervous or smile when we are happy. When our heart rate is slower, we calm down mentally. A slower heart rate is also beneficial in helping you fall asleep before bed and can help you stay asleep.
I’m wearing a size 4.
Therefore, the next time you are in a nervous panic or just cannot get to sleep, lie down in legs-up-the-wall to slow your heart rate. Close your eyes and focus on your natural breath.
Legs-up-the-wall pose is essential in reducing anxiety, calming the mind, and slowing down heart rate. I love to sit in this pose 10 minutes before bed while listening to calming binaural beats on Spotify. Give it a try and comment how you liked it!
With Joy, Audrey
