Yoga, also good for recovery

Yoga is not ‘just’ exercise but a way of life. You will get an answer to the question of why you should start doing yoga once you have been doing it for a while. Especially in a fast-paced society like the Western one, it is good to take a moment for yourself and really look inside yourself. Yoga can make an essential contribution to this and certain postures can also help in the recovery process you are currently in. The recovery process can be very different, after all, while one person has had to endure too much stress, the other has a bad case of the flu. You can let the body do the work and not think about it, but you can also stimulate the recovery process with certain postures. Everyone makes that choice individually. The postures below can help if the person in question wants to apply the postures consistently in order to stimulate the process. Listen carefully to your body and follow your intuition. Moreover, exercise is good for the body anyway.

Not the goal but the process helps!

That is the starting point of yoga and therefore also of these postures that can help you recover. That makes it a way of life and not a workout. The exercises can be done in peace and quiet – twice a day (at least once a day is also a moment for yourself at least once a day!). During all exercises, concentrate on your breathing and ensure that your breathing is calm and deep.

Cramps

If you suffer from cramps for whatever reason, the exercise below can help loosen them.

Stand upright with your legs spread and breathe deeply, feeling your lungs slowly fill up.
During this inhalation, bend forward with your upper body extended and your arms spread until your upper body is perpendicular to your legs and still keep your arms spread (as if you were flying).
When you are ready to exhale, come up again in this stretched position, but not completely until you are standing straight. Stop halfway and repeat this five times in peace. Take your time and follow your breathing with your practice.

Stress

There are several postures for stress, but this one is simple and very effective for many people. The aid is a firm cushion.

Sit on your lower legs with your buttocks on your feet, with your feet touching each other and your knees hip-width apart.
With an upright upper body, you now lie forward with your chest and head on the pillow (try to keep your buttocks on your feet) and turn your head to the side. Place your arms on the floor next to the pillow.
In this position, press your tailbone back as far as possible so that your torso becomes as large as possible.
If you have pushed yourself to the limit, relax your upper body, your shoulders and sink further into this position. Feel when the position feels good.
Breathe deeply and do this in peace. Hold this position for about three minutes and slowly stand up. This posture can also be used first and last in a series of postures.

Depressed

An exercise that can help with the process of coming out of depression and which can also have a positive effect on hormonal fluctuations is the butterfly pose.

Sit upright with your buttocks firmly on the floor and your legs extended in front of you.
Now first inhale deeply and on the next exhalation, pull your knees towards you and let your knees fall outwards.
With a straight back, press the soles of your feet together and bring your heels as close to your pelvis as possible and hold your feet with your hands.
In this position, bring your upper body forward as far as possible. Hold for a moment and then raise your upper body again. Remain in the stretched position for three minutes and during these three minutes regularly bring your upper body forward.

Resistance

If for some reason you have not been feeling well, it is good to strengthen your resistance. Meditation can help with this and a moment of meditation is always good for stress.

Sit cross-legged with your back straight, your head clearly towards the ceiling and your rump pointed towards the ground as much as possible.
Place your hands on your knees (with the palms relaxed and facing upwards) and with your eyes closed, take a deep breath through your abdomen and feel your body taking in the oxygen.
Concentrate carefully and let your worries or other energy-consuming activities leave your body as you exhale.
Leave it for a moment and, if necessary, visualize how the thoughts leave your body and mind. They automatically lose strength because of these thoughts. Let it be followed by a nice deep sigh, giving your thoughts a push (outwards).
Sink deeply into yourself and experience how everything feels nice and balanced. You can hold this for about three minutes.
Then you slowly move your fingers and toes and calmly return to the present, back from your deepest self.

Finally

There are more exercises that have a restorative character, but to get a feel for the exercises it is useful to experience whether they are something for you. It is important that you give it some time and apply it consistently. Let it become self-evident and then judge whether it makes you feel more comfortable.