The fatigue that you feel after being stressed out or under a good amount of pressure is most likely a sign that your adrenal glands are in need of recovery. Your adrenal glands are located above your kidneys and serve to control your reaction to stress. When you are under stress, the adrenal glands release hormones, such as cortisol, which help to feed your muscles so that you can deal with the situation at hand. Yoga can help you to relax and restore your adrenal glands.
Face Challenges
Along with getting a good workout and improving your flexibility and strength, yoga helps you to face challenges and deal with the issues causing stress in your life. Confronting stressful situations can help to prevent adrenal fatigue and keep your adrenal glands functioning properly. Attempting the challenging poses on your yoga mat can help you to attempt real-life challenges. Just like understanding that difficult poses require patience and allowing yourself to fail, real-life challenges also involve persistence and being kind to yourself.
Restorative Practice
Restorative yoga poses can help to calm your mind and give your adrenal glands a rest. Restorative yoga serves to help students reach a state of deep relaxation through various gentle poses that are held for a longer period of time than a typical vinyasa or ashtanga practice would. Props are often used during restorative classes, including bolsters, blocks, blankets, straps and eye pillows. Examples of restorative poses are child's pose, legs up the wall, reclining bound angle pose, savasana and reclining hero pose.
Avoid Power Yoga
Vigorous practices, such as ashtanga, power yoga or vinyasa flow, can stir up your adrenal glands and contribute to adrenal fatigue, explains Roger Cole in "Yoga Journal." Cole warns of standing poses, such as Warrior I and II, Triangle Pose and High Lunge, along with unsupported backbends, which can include Standing Backbend and Dancer's Pose, as being particularly detrimental to adrenal fatigue.
Sample Pose: Legs Up The Wall
Legs up the wall is a restorative yoga pose that many find extremely relaxing and calming. It helps to quiet the mind while relieving pain and tension in your feet and legs. Facing a wall, scoot your butt right up against it or as close as you are able. Lift your legs and extend your feet toward the ceiling, with your hamstrings and calves resting on the wall. Lay your torso on the floor; your body should be in an L shape, with your legs up the wall. Stay in the pose for five to 15 minutes.
