Yoga For When You Feel Like Chernobyl

Feeling restless all day, juggling work tasks and house chores, I couldn't find a moment to simply relax and enjoy my Sunday. I kept myself busy. Sounds familiar? One of the best way to calm a frantic mind and regulate the nervous system is through yoga.

So, I roll out my yoga mat in the bedroom, bathed in warm, lazy afternoon light, and sit down in Sukhasana, Easy Pose. Because "Easy does it," like my mindfulness teacher likes to say.

I set the Insight Timer app for an hour, with interval bells to guide me, and prepare for a session that will bring me back to balance.

I dedicate ample time for Savasana at the end of my SOS Yoga session, allowing my nervous system to fully regulate and shift into rest and recovery mode.

I began my practice with about 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation, sitting in the cross-legged position on my yoga mat. I love easing into my practice by observing my breath, centering on my inner self, and telling all my problems to wait outside the yoga room. Allowing myself a moment to take care of myself.

With each breath, shallow at first but growing deeper with each exhale, I focus on releasing the physical tension in my body. I let everything be as it is for a moment, neither resisting nor clinging to anything. Allowing myself to just be.

And little by little, it works. When I am ready, I slowly transition into my first standing asana of the day—the Tree Pose. It is also one of my favorite balancing poses, perfect for slowing down and stilling the fluctuations of the mind as you balance your body weight on one leg.

I hold each asana for about 2 minutes, that’s probably about 15-20 breaths for me. I used to count them to get a sense of time. But that takes mental effort and might distract from the practice itself. So now with the timer and interval bells on auto-pilot, I can release all control.

I notice how I am becoming more present in the moment. Observing the sensations in my body is actually so intriguing! My emotions jump from fear to anger, from inner critic (what the heck am I doing with my life) to feeling self righteous (that's my life, I can mess it up any way I want.) But I patiently return my mind back to the practice every time I realize it wandered away. 

New sensation today: I felt there was some more room for movement when I was in Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) and went a little deeper. It felt really good, like my body softened and released a piece of accumulated stress. Something I don’t recall happening for a while now. Good sign. 

All in all, this week I practiced for 5 out of 7 days. I can tell I feel better after each session. Consistent practice is crucial for emotional regulation, so I aim to maintain my Anti-Stress Yoga Routine.

Here's one of my favorite sequences that combines both seated and standing asanas for a quick nervous system regulation break—about 20-30 minutes. Hold each pose for about a minute or longer if it feels good.

 Yoga Sequence for Emotional Regulation:

1. Easy Pose (Sukhasana)
2. Standing Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana)
3. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)
4. Rest - Quick Shavasana
5. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
6. Rest - Quick Shavasana
7. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
8. Final Shavasana - 10 minutes