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In June we shared our advice with you on the best yoga poses for boosting your mood – and this is a topic that we would like to revisit today!
Sometimes a bad mood can present itself for seemingly no reason at all! You might wake up feeling as though you haven’t got the motivation to get through the day, or your mood might decline slowly as the day wares on. There are several fantastic and effective ways to boost your mood when this happens, and it is also of course a good idea to try and address any underlying issues that may be contributing to your bad mood.
Yoga is a tried and tested technique for getting those all-important endorphins rushing around your brain and throughout your body. Yoga also serves to refresh your mind and reconnect your intentions to your actions. This is a super effective way to clear negativity from the mind and allow positivity to persist and thrive instead.
In our previous blog post on this topic – Yoga Poses to Boost Your Mood – we discussed the benefits of Reclined Hero’s Pose, Dancers Pose, and Child’s Pose. Today let’s take a look at some other simple yoga poses that have similar mood enhancing benefits!
Fish Pose
Start by lying flat on your back on your mat with your legs straight along the floor. Your arms should rest in a naturally comfortable position alongside your body with your palms facing down. From here, push your elbows and forearms into the floor and bring your chest upwards so that you are creating an arch with your upper back. The next step is to also lift your shoulder blades and then the upper part of your torso off the floor. Gently tilt your head backwards so that the crown of your head comes to rest on the floor – making sure that your weight is being held by your forearms and hands, not your head.
Push through your heels, feel your thighs clench and hold yourself in this position for between five and ten deep breaths. You can then slowly exit the pose by first releasing your head and then lowering your body back towards the ground.
Fish pose is fantastic for opening up the throat and the chest, allowing blood to flow more freely through this area and to the brain. Not only is this useful for alleviating localised pain and tension, but also helps to soothe anxious thoughts and feelings.
Boat Pose
Begin by sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Bend your knees to place your feet flat on the floor and place your hands on either side of your thighs. Make sure that your fingers are directed towards your toes. Gently lean back at the hips and raise your legs a couple of inches off the floor. Open your chest by drawing your shoulder blades back towards each other, and then straighten your legs so that your knees are at a 45 degree angle to the floor. As you straighten your legs, move your arms too until they are parallel to the floor.
Hold yourself in this position for between five and ten deep breaths. You can then release back towards the ground. As you progress with your yoga practice you will find that you are able to hold the pose for longer periods of time.
This pose requires dedication from your body and your mind in order to achieve the hold, and further dedication is of course required if you are to progress! Whilst you are holding Boat Pose you will be strengthening your mind and this strength can help to combat negativity and maintain a positive outlook.
Get Active to Stay Positive
A daily yoga practice is an amazing way to maintain your mood and also to ensure that you take some time for yourself. In doing so you will continuously work to expel negativity and reduce the amount of stress, tension and anxiety in your body and mind.
