Yoga for Stress Relief: How to Use Breathwork and Poses to bring Self Love

Stress is unavoidable when it comes to your daily life. Sometimes we have those days where it just gets too much — whether that’s a stressful day at work causing burnout and leaving you in a negative mood, relationship problems with loved ones, feeling irritable or overwhelmed due to ADHD, or it just isn’t your day.

In this blog, I’ll talk about how stress shows up in your life, and how yoga and breathwork can help relieve stress as you step onto the mat, giving yourself a break from all that noise.

The big, bad monster... STRESS!

In this modern day, we always seem to be encountering stress. It can come in all different shapes and sizes — mental, physical, or even behavioural. For me, stress often shows up through procrastination, overwhelm, and anxiety. It’s sneaky, because sometimes you don’t even realise how much it’s affecting you until your body starts to shout for attention.

Stress can contribute to things like mental health struggles, digestive issues, low energy, or even unhealthy coping mechanisms. No one is immune — it’s part of being human.

What could this possibly look like?

Are you feeling sluggish? Finding it hard to choose what to eat for breakfast? Feeling like your body is just not doing too well? You might notice:

• headaches

• issues with focus

• feeling irritable

• unhealthy coping mechanisms (e.g. substance use, smoking)

• skin breakouts

• constipation or diarrhea

As The NHS Website says, “It’s not always easy to recognise when stress is the reason you’re feeling or acting different"

When you start noticing these signs, that’s your cue to slow down — even for a few minutes — and reconnect with your breath.

How can yoga relieve stress?

There are lots of things you can use yoga for, and stress relief is one of them! I love using yoga as a tool for stress relief because yoga combines mindful movement, stillness, and breathwork to bring your mind and body back into balance, this encourages you to step into the present in the moment, healing your inner peace.

Fun Fact - When you focus on your breath, you signal your nervous system that you’re safe — allowing your heart rate to slow, your muscles to relax, and your mind to soften.

Yoga can help create a safe space for you to heal, promoting self love and inner work. These techniques have helped me in the past on my worst days. Always give yourself patience and grace as you grow, healing takes time and with every small step brings progress.

Here is a great practise you can follow if you have a spare 20 minutes. Top tip: Bring a pillow for extra comfort :)

Research has shown that consistent yoga practice can reduce cortisol (the body’s stress hormone) and increase levels of serotonin — the “feel-good” hormone. This means you’re not just calming your mind but also supporting your overall health.

Breathwork: Your built-in stress reliever

If you can't find time for a yoga practise right now, no worries at all, you can also try meditation and come back to your practise later, with Mindful In Minutes Meditation

Breathwork (or pranayama, as it’s known in yoga) is a simple yet powerful way to manage stress — anytime, anywhere. When we’re stressed, we tend to breathe quickly and shallowly, which keeps our body in a state of alert. By slowing down your breath, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” mode.

Here’s a quick exercise you can try right now:

1. Find a comfortable seat. Sit tall, relax your shoulders, and close your eyes or soften your gaze.
2. Inhale slowly for a count of 4.
3. Hold for a moment for 3 seconds.
4. Exhale gently for a count of 6.
5. Repeat this for 1–2 minutes.

Notice how even after a few rounds, your body feels a little lighter. That’s the power of breath — your body’s natural reset button.

Conclusion

While stress is a common part of life, it’s important to hold a safe space for yourself. Healing your body and mind takes time, but yoga gives you a beautiful way to reconnect with yourself. Every stretch, every breath, every pause brings you closer to peace. This encourages self love and inner peace.

P.S. Progress doesn’t happen overnight. Even if you don’t feel a huge shift after one session, simply showing up is the hardest and most important step. Be kind to yourself, stay consistent, and keep breathing.