Published October 14, 2026 01:49PM
This yoga practice for stress relief was created by instructor Laia Bové. She’s taught students of all levels for more than a decade. Bové’s classes, along with this sequence, focus on nervous system regulation as self-care.
You know it when you feel it—hunched shoulders, clenched jaw, racing mind. Stress is running rampant throughout your body, and you decide to do something about it. But your usual distractions like cozying up with a book or watching a comfort movie don’t always do the trick. Because sometimes stress requires that you tune more deeply into what’s happening within you instead of trying to tune it out.
What can help you do that is practicing yoga for stress relief. It’s a chance not only to notice where you’re holding physical tension, but also to become aware of what’s happening in your mind. What are you spending energy on? What are you ready to let go of? By becoming deeply present with yourself, you start to learn how to quiet your thoughts and feel noticeably less stressed—one breath at a time.
20-Minute Yoga to Release Mental Stress
When you want to relax, feel held, and connect to a sense of calmness, this 20-minute practice is for you. Done entirely on the floor, the sequence guides you to stay in each pose for a few breaths to let go of muscle tightness and mental stress and begin to release physically, mentally, and energetically.
You won’t need any props for this practice other than a mat or sturdy surface although a block or some pillows could be helpful. Comfy clothing is optional but highly recommended—you might even want to wear socks!
1. Constructive Rest
Lie on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet on the mat. Take a few deep breaths.
2. Knee to Chest
From lying on your back, draw your right knee toward your chest and wrap your arms around your shin or behind your thigh. Keep your shoulders relaxed on the mat. Take a few deep breaths here.
3. Hamstring Stretch
From Knee to Chest, start to straighten your leg and reach your right foot toward the ceiling. Grasp your hands or a strap behind your right thigh or calf. Take a few deep breaths here.
4. Figure 4
From Hamstring Stretch, cross your right ankle over your left knee. Reach your right knee away from you as much or as little as needed to bring a comfortable stretch to your hip. Bend your elbows and bring your arms into a cactus position on the mat. Breathe here.
5. Spinal Twist
From Figure 4, keep your ankle against your knee as you lower your right foot to the mat outside your left thigh in a twist. If your foot doesn’t touch the mat, rest it on a block or some pillows. Point your right knee toward the ceiling. Rest your hands somewhere on your body or extend your arms straight out from your shoulders and rest them on the floor. Take a few breaths here.
To come out of it, roll onto your back and plant both feet on the mat with your knees bent.
6. Bridge Pose
From lying on your back with your knees bent, rest your arms alongside you with your palms facing down. Press into your feet and lift your hips off the mat in Bridge Pose. Take a breath, then lower your hips to the mat.
Repeat Knee to Chest, Hamstring Stretch, Figure 4, and Spinal Twist on the opposite side.
7. Knees to Chest
Still lying on your back, hug both knees toward your chest, grasping your shins with your hands. Breathe here.
8. Fetal Position
From Knees to Chest, roll onto one side, stacking your bent legs on top of each other and rest your head against your bottom arm. Get comfortable in whatever way feels good and breathe here.
9. Seated Side Stretch
Sit cross-legged or in another comfortable position. Reach your arms toward the ceiling. Exhale as you lean toward the left, keeping your arms overhead, and feeling a stretch in your right side. Inhale and return to center with your arms overhead. Exhale as you bend toward the right, feeling a stretch in your left side. Inhale and return to center.
10. Seated Cat-Cow
From your seated position, bend your elbows and bring your arms into a cactus shape. Inhale as you reach your chest forward, lift your gaze toward the ceiling, and draw your arms slightly behind you in seated Cow Pose. Exhale as you draw your navel toward your spine, round your back, and reach your cactus arms forward in seated Cat Pose. Repeat a few times at your own pace.
11. Seated Spinal Twist
Still seated, exhale as you twist toward your right side, placing your left hand on your right knee and your right hand on your hip or the mat behind you. Breathe here. Repeat on the opposite side, placing your right hand on your left knee and your left hand behind you.
12. Child’s Pose
Come to your hands and knees and lower your hips toward your heels. Bend your elbows, stack your forearms, and rest your forehead on them, or straighten your arms and lower your forehead to the mat or a block in Child’s Pose.
13. Bound Angle Pose
Sit on the mat and draw the soles of your feet together. Inhale and lift your chest. Exhale and fold forward, grasping your ankles or feet in Bound Angle Pose. You can stack your fists on top of each other and rest your forehead on them. Breathe here for as long as you like.
