Top 10 'Mind-Mellowing' Yoga Poses to start for Soothing a Chronically Stressed Nervous System in 2025 - Goh Ling Yong
Welcome to the blog! If you've found your way here, chances are you're familiar with that low-humming, background static of modern life: stress. Not the "I have a big deadline" kind of stress, but the chronic, lingering kind that settles into your bones and wires your nervous system to be in a constant state of high alert. It’s like having a dozen browser tabs open in your brain, all playing different videos, all the time. This constant state of 'fight-or-flight' can leave you feeling exhausted, irritable, and disconnected.
The good news? You hold a powerful tool for recalibration right within your own body. Yoga, particularly a gentle and mindful practice, isn't just about flexibility or fitness; it's a direct conversation with your nervous system. It's how we signal to our bodies that we are safe, that it's okay to power down the alarm bells and shift into the 'rest-and-digest' state governed by the parasympathetic nervous system. As we step into 2025, making this practice a priority is one of the most profound acts of self-care we can undertake.
Here at the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe in practical, accessible wellness. That's why I've curated this list of my top 10 'mind-mellowing' yoga poses. These aren't complex or intimidating postures. They are gentle, restorative invitations for your body and mind to come back to a place of quiet and calm. Think of them less as a workout and more as a 'work-in'.
1. Child's Pose (Balasana)
There's a reason we instinctively curl into a ball when we feel overwhelmed. Child's Pose is the yoga equivalent of a gentle, grounding hug for your entire being. By folding forward, you create a safe, contained space, shutting out external stimuli and encouraging your focus to turn inward. The gentle pressure of your forehead on the mat can have a profoundly calming effect, helping to stimulate the vagus nerve, a key player in switching your body into relaxation mode.
This posture provides a gentle stretch for the hips, thighs, and lower back—areas where we notoriously hold tension from sitting all day. It encourages deep, diaphragmatic breathing, which further soothes the nervous system by slowing the heart rate. It’s the ultimate pose of surrender, reminding you that it's okay to rest, to pause, and to be held by the earth beneath you.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: For extra comfort, place a rolled-up blanket behind your knees or a yoga block under your forehead. This support allows your muscles to release more fully. Close your eyes and focus on the sensation of your breath expanding into your back ribs. Imagine you are creating space with every inhale and releasing tension with every exhale.
2. Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
If you only have five minutes and need an instant reset, this is your pose. Legs-Up-The-Wall is a passive, gentle inversion that is incredibly effective for soothing a frayed nervous system. By elevating your legs above your heart, you reverse the effects of gravity, which helps to improve circulation, reduce swelling in the feet and legs, and gently lower your blood pressure.
This simple shift in orientation has a powerful calming effect on the mind. It drains lymphatic fluid, alleviates tired leg muscles, and gives your heart a much-needed break. It's the perfect antidote to a day spent on your feet or hunched over a desk. The supported nature of the pose allows you to completely let go without any muscular effort, making it one of the most restorative yoga poses available.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: Scoot your hips as close to the wall as is comfortable. Place a folded blanket or a thin bolster under your lower back for support. You can rest your hands on your belly or let them fall out to the sides. Stay here for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes and focus on your breath. This is a fantastic pose to do right before bed to promote restful sleep.
3. Cat-Cow Stretch (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)
The beauty of Cat-Cow lies in its simplicity and the powerful connection it builds between breath and movement. This gentle, flowing sequence awakens and warms the spine, releasing the tension that accumulates in our backs from stress and poor posture. The rhythmic motion is meditative, helping to quiet a busy mind and bring you into the present moment.
As you inhale into Cow Pose, the gentle backbend opens the chest and heart space, which can be an antidote to the protective, rounded posture we often adopt when stressed. As you exhale into Cat Pose, you round the spine, releasing the neck and shoulders and massaging the abdominal organs. This synchronized movement stimulates the spinal fluid and increases awareness of your body's subtle signals.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: Don't rush it. The goal is not the range of motion but the quality of your awareness. Close your eyes and initiate each movement from your tailbone, letting the ripple travel up your spine. Try to make your breath last the entire length of the movement. This focus is a form of mindfulness that can dramatically calm the nervous system.
4. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
Forward bends are naturally introspective and calming. They physically represent a turning inward, away from the chaos of the outside world. Paschimottanasana provides a deep stretch for the entire back side of the body, from your heels to the base of your skull. This can help release deep-seated tension in the hamstrings and lower back, which are often tight in chronically stressed individuals.
Metaphorically, this pose teaches us to bow to ourselves with compassion. It encourages patience and non-striving. The focus isn't on touching your toes, but on hinging from the hips and maintaining a long spine. The gentle compression of the abdomen in this pose also stimulates the digestive organs, which are directly linked to our nervous system health via the gut-brain axis.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: Bend your knees! Seriously. Bending your knees generously allows your torso to rest on your thighs, making the pose far more restorative. This takes the strain out of the lower back and hamstrings, allowing the nervous system to receive the calming benefits. You can rest your forehead on a block or a bolster placed on your shins.
5. Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
While active backbends can be stimulating, a supported backbend is deeply therapeutic. Placing a yoga block or a firm bolster under your sacrum (the flat, bony part at the base of your spine) allows you to experience the chest-opening benefits of Bridge Pose without muscular effort. This gentle lift of the hips and chest counteracts the "slump" of fatigue and stress.
Opening the chest in this supported way creates space for the lungs and heart, encouraging deeper, more easeful breathing. It provides a mild stretch to the hip flexors and front of the body, which can become tight from prolonged sitting and a constant stress response. It is a pose that feels both grounding through the feet and shoulders, and expansive through the heart.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: Experiment with the height of the block. A lower height is often more calming. Once you are settled, allow your arms to rest by your sides with palms facing up. Feel the support of the block holding you. Focus on the sensation of your chest gently rising and falling with each breath.
6. Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
Think of a spinal twist as a gentle "wringing out" for your spine and internal organs. Lying on your back, you draw one knee into your chest and then guide it across your body, allowing gravity to do most of the work. This movement helps to neutralize the spine, release tension in the back muscles, and improve spinal mobility.
Twists are also believed to aid in detoxification by gently compressing and massaging the abdominal organs, which can improve digestion—a system often disrupted by chronic stress. The key to making this pose restorative is to keep both shoulder blades as close to the floor as possible, which ensures the twist originates from the spine rather than just the hips.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: Your knee does not need to touch the floor! Place a block or cushion under your bent knee for support so your hip and back muscles can fully relax. Extend your opposite arm out to the side and turn your gaze towards it to complete the twist through the neck. Breathe into your belly and imagine rinsing out any stored tension with each exhale.
7. Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)
This pose is exactly what it sounds like: joyful, playful, and deeply releasing. By lying on your back and grabbing the outsides of your feet, you create a shape that gently opens the hips and groin while releasing the entire length of the spine, particularly the lower back and sacrum.
Happy Baby is incredibly effective at calming the nervous system because it targets areas where we hold a lot of emotional tension. It’s a vulnerable and non-serious posture that can help break the pattern of a rigid, stressed-out body. The gentle pressure of the floor on your back is grounding and can feel deeply comforting.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: Keep your lower back and sacrum pressing down towards the mat. If you can't reach your feet, hold onto your ankles or shins. You can stay still or introduce a gentle rock from side to side, giving your lower back a wonderful massage. Smile. It’s hard to stay stressed in Happy Baby.
8. Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Savasana may look like you're just lying down, but it is often considered the most challenging and important pose in yoga. Its purpose is to allow the body to completely relax and integrate the benefits of the preceding practice. This is where the nervous system truly gets the signal to downshift. It's an act of conscious surrender.
In a state of chronic stress, simply being still without distraction can be incredibly difficult. The mind races, the body fidgets. Savasana teaches us to observe these impulses without reacting, to allow the body to become heavy, and to let go of all muscular control. It is in this state of deep, conscious rest that the body's healing mechanisms can fully engage.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: Do not skip this pose! Make yourself as comfortable as possible. Place a bolster under your knees to release your lower back, cover yourself with a blanket for warmth (your body temperature drops as you relax), and consider an eye pillow to block out light. Scan your body from your toes to your head, consciously inviting each part to become heavy and soft.
9. Ragdoll Pose (a variation of Uttanasana)
While a full Standing Forward Bend can be quite active, the Ragdoll variation is all about release. Standing with feet hip-width apart and a generous bend in your knees, you let your entire upper body hang heavy towards the floor. Clasping opposite elbows creates a frame that adds a gentle weight, helping to decompress the spine and release the neck and shoulders.
This gentle inversion allows fresh blood to flow to the brain, which can have a calming and clarifying effect. The key is the complete surrender of the head and neck. We hold an immense amount of tension in our upper back and neck from stress and screen time, and Ragdoll allows gravity to be your masseuse, gently tractioning the vertebrae and releasing tight muscles.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: Bend your knees enough that your belly can rest on your thighs. This supports your lower back. Gently shake your head "no" and nod it "yes" to ensure your neck is completely relaxed. You can add a gentle sway from side to side to deepen the release in your hips and side body.
10. Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
This is the ultimate restorative posture for opening the hips and chest simultaneously. Lying on your back with the soles of your feet together and knees falling out to the sides, you create a posture of gentle, supported openness. This is particularly beneficial as a counter-pose to the closed-off, protective postures we adopt when we are stressed or anxious.
Supta Baddha Konasana promotes relaxation by opening the pelvic region, stimulating the abdominal organs, and improving circulation. It allows for deep, unrestricted belly breathing, which is a powerful signal of safety to the nervous system. As a yoga teacher, I, Goh Ling Yong, have seen this single pose bring profound peace to clients who struggle with anxiety.
Mind-Mellowing Tip: Support is your best friend here. Place blocks, pillows, or rolled blankets under your outer thighs or knees. This prevents over-stretching the inner thighs and allows the hip muscles to truly let go. Rest one hand on your heart and one on your belly to feel the gentle rhythm of your breath and heartbeat.
Your Path to a Calmer Nervous System
Integrating these poses into your life doesn't require a 90-minute class. The magic lies in consistency. Perhaps you start your day with a few rounds of Cat-Cow or end your workday with five minutes in Legs-Up-The-Wall. The goal for 2025 isn't to perfect every pose, but to create small, sustainable rituals that signal safety and care to your nervous system.
Remember, this is a practice of self-compassion, not self-improvement. Be gentle with yourself. Listen to your body. Over time, you'll be building a new relationship with your nervous system—one based on communication and trust rather than chronic alarm.
Which of these 'mind-mellowing' poses are you most excited to try? Share your thoughts in the comments below! And if you're ready to explore how to build a more resilient nervous system, check out our upcoming workshops on stress and mindfulness.
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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