This post is part of a week-long yoga series at Your Body, Your Mind.

Exercise, mediation, massage therapy – these are all complementary (and, for some folks, solitary) ways to

Halogen TV, which describes itself as “the only television network focused on socially conscious entertainment,” recently presented a piece outlining yoga poses we can use to better manage our anxiety and depression symptoms.

(SEE ALSO: 5 Resources for Depression and Complementary Health Practices)

The article, 10 Yoga Poses to Fight Depression and Anxiety, lists, describes, and show pictures of 10 yoga poses fit for anyone, regardless of experience level.

Those poses include the:

• Lotus position, to help focus on breathing (especially important during anxiety and panic attacks).
• Viparita Karani, which can provide both an energizing and a soothing effect.
• Fish pose, a position that opens up the chest and helps unclog the tension in our cores, thus relieving stress and easing respiration.
• Bridge (or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana), said to help calm the mind while also energizing the body.
• Cow pose and cat pose, used together to help relieve stress and tension in the back.
• Locust pose (or Salabhasana), which can help with everything from low energy to digestion and poor posture (both are often affected by depression), and the upward facing dog (or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) to flow out of Locust.
• Child’s pose (or Balasana ), which calms the body and mind and helps you focus on your breathing.
• Corpse pose (or Savasana), a still time that allows your body relax and process the information it’s recieved.

When it comes to relaxation and managing anxiety, my favorite yoga poses from above are the cow and cat poses, the locust pose, and the child’s pose.

How about YOU, readers? Do you have any experience managing depression and anxiety symptoms with yoga? If so, which poses work best for you? If not, do you think you’ll try it out now?

Let us know in the comments below!

Image courtesy AmandaD_TX per these Creative Commons Attributions

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From Psych Central's website:
Yoga Week: What'd You Miss? | Your Body, Your Mind (January 25, 2013)

    Last reviewed: 21 Jan 2013