Yoga For Overthinkers

Yoga For Overthinkers To Manage Stress: Experts Recommended Poses And Techniques

In our fast paced world, many individuals experience the struggle of overthinking, which can lead to increased anxiety and stress. Yoga offers a holistic approach to managing these challenges, combining physical movement, breath control, and mindfulness. To help overthinkers navigate their stress, we’ve gathered insights from yoga experts who recommend specific poses and techniques to foster relaxation and mental clarity. Let’s get started:

Yoga For Overthinking And Stress

Overthinking often leads to a cycle of worry and self doubt, making it difficult to focus and enjoy the present moment. Stress can manifest physically and emotionally, resulting in tension in the body and a racing mind. Yoga provides tools to break this cycle, allowing individuals to reconnect with their bodies and minds. If you are an overthinker, struggling to manage your stress and want to learn how yoga will help to manage these as a beginner you are at the right place. Today, we have brought some very helpful insights from the yoga and mental health experts that will help you to find your own best way to deal with overthinking and stress management. Let’s find out what yoga experts says on overthinking:

1. Lauren Munday, [ Lauren Ashtanga Yoga]

Her Advice On Yoga For Overthinkers

Yoga can be an effective tool for managing overthinking due to the calming impact it has on the nervous system through the synchronization of movement and breath. Overthinkers can spend a lot of time in a heightened stress response, but coordinating breath with movement helps activate the ventral vagal part of the parasympathetic nervous system. This, in turn, reduces stress hormones, lowers heart rate, improves digestion, and fosters a sense of calm and connection.

For those wanting to incorporate yoga into their daily routine, it’s best to start with something manageable, like ten minutes a day. Consistency is key—practicing small amounts regularly is more beneficial than attending one 90-minute class per week. Poses such as forward bends or child’s pose are known for their soothing effects on the nervous system. However, if someone is feeling particularly energized or agitated, starting with a more dynamic practice, like Sun Salutations, can help release excess energy before transitioning into a calmer state with breath observation or savasana. Ultimately, the practice should be tailored to the individual, which is why working with an experienced teacher or experimenting with different techniques is recommended. For example, breathing exercises or moving with the breath can be difficult for people who are predominantly in a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state, so they may find it more beneficial to focus on movement (asana) or sound (chanting mantras) instead of breathwork (pranayama).

Yoga Poses Suggested By Her

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2. Donna Thomas, M.Sc – [Joyful Rebels]

Her Advice On Yoga For Overthinkers

Yoga, in several of its forms, can be effective in curbing and easing the stress of overthinking. First off, there are essentially 8 “ways” to do yoga. That in and of itself might be new information for many. The ways are referred to as the “8 Limbs of Yoga.” These limbs are basically a scaffolding for personal development and inner work that can help people live in ways that are more spiritual and meaningful in their day-to-day.

1. Yama (abstinence)
2. Niyama (observances)
3. Asana (the poses)
4. Pranayama (breathwork)
5. Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses)
6. Dharana (concentration)
7. Dhyana (meditation) 
8. Samadhi (absorption or integration)

Often, I’ll hear that people will recommend meditation and intentional breathing to help overthinking. This is a great suggestion, but it can be challenging in unexpected ways. While there are wonderful apps to help guide a meditation practice (Headspace, Happier, as examples) those wanting to stay in the present moment experience mental chatter that is obtrusive and frustrating. We are thinking people, and we know we think. It’s never about “clearing your mind of thought, it’s more about partnering with your thoughts so that they can come and go without causing distress and anxiety. 

My recommendation is to incorporate breathing and meditative time, but we’ve got some physical and mental prep to do first. The standing poses (asana) are used to feel sensation in our bodies which then keeps us in the present as we manage how our bodies respond to this, well, exercise. My understanding is that the standing poses were created to help young Indian men and boys, thoughtfully engage in the physical nature of the poses (many are lunge, squat, chest, and core centered) to manage their physical energy. In contemporary language, the poses are to “get the wiggles out” so that the practitioners can then sit and meditate or pray with less mental noise and distraction. 

As a yoga teacher and certified personal trainer, I absolutely leverage the magic of moving our bodies. We do this with intention and sometime intensity, to stay in the present moment. This then leaves little room for overthinking because your mind is engaged with the tasks at hand: steadying your breath, feeling your muscles shake, and managing a multitude of other sensations that arise when we are moving. In this way, we are not just telling ourselves to stop overthinking, we are using our available bandwidth to focus on other things that are more pressing. 

A regular yoga practice helps us to reconnect our mind, body and spirit so that we disrupt the habitual default pattern of overthinking. We also learn to release any unnamed fear because we are more trusting and confident in our ability to move through time and space. The carryover value here has many benefits, one of them being the ability to spend more time in the present and trusting that whatever is going to happen next, we will figure it out, manage it, or let it go. Yay for integrated discernment.

Standing Yoga Poses For Beginners

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3. Victoria Williams – [Yoga With Victoria]

Her Advice On Yoga For Overthinkers

For me, one of the gifts of yoga practice is the invitation to ‘think less, feel more.’ The breath is a really powerful tool to start to make that shift, something as simple as placing one hand on your belly, one on your heart, and feeling the inhale rise up and fill those two places, and then the exhale releasing tightness from the face. I would recommend that practice in a simple seated position or even lying down. As you tune into your breath, it will naturally slow down and help you become more aware of any tense places in the body, like the shoulders or hips, and you can focus your awareness on those places when you start to move your body more.
For beginners, I highly recommend a class guided by a teacher, in-person or online. For many people struggling with overthinking, a more energetic type of class like vinyasa/flow is a good start because it will require focus on your body’s movement and coordination with your breath. Often beginner classes are quite slow, which is great but can be challenging for overthinkers, who tend to get back into their heads when there is less action. Ultimately we want to get to a place where we notice the mind running away, and we can guide it back to the feeling of the breath moving in and out, the body releasing tension, the challenge of the balance work, etc.

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4. Jo Bushell – [Yoga With Jo]

Her Advice On Yoga For Overthinkers

The hardest thing for beginners is finding a class or video that suits them. There are so many yoga teachers teaching different traditions and so many youtube videos, it can feel overwhelming. I started many years ago with a yoga DVD, and although it wasn’t the kind of yoga I enjoy today, it was a start and introduced me to the traditional yoga postures. I got to know the routine inside out and that really helped when I started going to other classes. If you are just embarking on your yoga journey, try not to lose heart if you go to a class or find an online teacher you don’t like. Keep trying and I’m confident you will find a teaching style for you. Although I would say consistency is key, be kind to yourself and if you only find time to practice once a week or even month, try to avoid self criticism and keep going. You might find a time of day that suits your body best, whether that’s first thing before breakfast or at the end of the day before bedtime. We are all so different, so experiment.

The beauty of yoga is that once you have learnt the postures, your focus starts to shift to how they feel in the body, and the breath. You start to lose yourself in the movement and thoughts begin to slow down. It might not be something you notice during the yoga practice itself but I personally notice it throughout the rest of the day in my reactions to events or things people say. I feel more relaxed, almost more spacious in the mind. My go-to breath practice (known as Pranayama), when I’m overwhelmed or feeling anxious, is alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana), which really helps calm the nervous system and in turn quieten the mind.If you’re looking for poses that can help overthinking, simply lie with your back on the floor, elevate the legs and feet up a wall and take at least 10 deep breaths with the hands resting on the belly. I enjoy a standing forward fold (or Uttanasana) – I like to visualise my thoughts spilling out of the top of my head into the ground. From a forward fold, widen the feet, then lower the hips and tailbone towards the ground into a yogi squat (Malasana), which is a very grounding posture.

Yoga Poses Suggested By Her

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5.  Victoria Gibbs – [Victoria Gibbs Yoga]

Her Advice On Yoga For Overthinkers

Life gets hectic and the first things we neglect are our mental and physical well being. However, by incorporating yoga into one’s daily routine you’ll find that the benefits are plentiful. Especially mentally, yoga cultivates self awareness, and mindfulness, reduces stress and anxiety, and helps to improve focus and overall concentration. 

Yoga is an ancient and holistic practice centered around bringing the mind and body into a harmonious state. Overtime, yoga helps one cultivate a deeper mental and physical awareness which is done through listening to and observing our subtle body. By linking breath to movement we begin to experience the benefits of a movement based meditation forgetting about the outside world and only focusing on what’s happening within the confines of our own practice. In time, that same sentiment carries over into one’s daily life finding true calm, balance, and peace within. 

One thing that I recommend to all people looking to embark on yoga, regardless of experience or fitness level, is to just try. There are so many options available to us both in studio and online that someone can easily find something that suits their needs. If fear or trepidation are standing in the way, start small and take a short introductory class online, at home, and slowly build. 

With that said, yoga poses to relieve stress and calm the mind include the following; child’s pose, triangle pose, padangusthasana or big toe pose,  janu sirsasana or head to knee pose, and sukhasana or cross legged seated pose. If those poses aren’t accessible to someone, generally speaking any hip opening pose will help to alleviate stress and calm the mind. It’s all about staying committed to trying and committed to the journey. These benefits take time to feel but with every yoga practice you’ll feel better and more in tune with one’s self. 

The practice of yoga will make you feel grounded in reality, cultivate a deeper mental and physical awareness, and keep one’s mind calm and in balance. The transformative journey is extremely rewarding and one that I highly recommend to everyone. 

Yoga Poses Suggested By Her

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6. Erin Madden Reed – [Sacred Being Yoga]

Her Advice On Yoga For Overthinkers

Yoga can be incredibly supportive for those who tend to overthink. Asana, the physical limb of yoga, involves postures that engage both movement and awareness of physical sensation. By practicing asana, we are drawn into the present moment and cultivate embodied awareness. These postures help release tension stored in the body, promoting relaxation. Movement also shifts focus away from racing thoughts and brings attention to sensations in the body. The grounding practices intrinsic to yoga connect physical awareness with the earth, creating a felt sense of presence and safety, which reduces the feeling of being “stuck in the head.”

Pranayama, or breathwork, is another powerful tool that stimulates the vagus nerve, a key part of the nervous system responsible for bringing us into a mindful, present state. Practices like diaphragmatic breathing (belly breathing), alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana), and Ujjayi breathing help calm the nervous system by slowing the heart rate and drawing focus away from overthinking. Focusing on the breath cultivates mindfulness, anchoring us in the present moment rather than spiraling into anxious or stressful thoughts. You cannot breathe in the past or the future—you can only breathe in the now.

Incorporating Meditation practices such as focusing on a mantra or the breath helps train the mind to observe thoughts without getting attached to them. This reduces the mental habit of overthinking. Through regular meditation, you develop greater emotional resilience. By becoming more aware of your thoughts and emotions, you can observe them without reacting impulsively, reducing the intensity of overthinking and negative thought spirals.

Finally, yoga nurtures self-compassion. Overthinkers often struggle with self-criticism, but yoga teaches non-judgmental self-awareness. Through practice, we learn to observe our thoughts without attaching judgment and to respond with kindness toward ourselves.

For someone with a busy mind, regular yoga practice—especially when combined with mindfulness—can be a powerful way to shift awareness from the mind into the body and heart, fostering a life lived with more embodied wisdom, awareness, and compassion.

Pranayama Suggested By Her

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7.  Victoria Johnson- [Yoga Core With Victoria]

Her Advice On Yoga For Overthinkers

In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali it says: “Yoga is the cessation of fluctuations of the mind” . Overthinking imprisons one’s life in worries about the future and/or ruminations on the past. Yoga practice that involves Asana( yoga poses), Pranayama ( breath work), Meditation and other yoga philosophy principles, guide us to be fully present in the now and anchoring our awareness in the present moment. With regular yoga practice lots of practitioners talk about a relaxed mind, feeling of mental clarity and calmness. 

Poses that have a grounding effect can be particularly effective combined with an easy steady breath are: Child’s pose, Mountain pose, Warrior 1 and 2, Chair pose, Bridge, the Easy pose, Savasana (Corpse pose), Tree pose etc. Mindful breathing can be helpful in anchoring one’s awareness in the present moment and can be practiced anywhere at anytime. For example, 3 Part breath( Dirga breath), Box Breath, Ujjayi (Ocean) breath. 

Yoga Poses Suggested By Her

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8. Jane Collins- [Yoga With Jane Collins]

Her Advice On Yoga For Overthinkers

How to Integrate Yoga into Your Routine if You Struggle with Overthinking

If you’re someone who deals with constant overthinking, incorporating yoga into your daily routine can be an amazing way to find a bit of calm and balance. Yoga can help you become more present in your body and slow down your racing thoughts, but if you’re a beginner, it’s important to start small and go easy on yourself.

Here are some tips to help you get started, along with a few specific poses that are especially good for managing overthinking.

1. Start with Your Breath

Before diving into yoga poses, simply focusing on your breath can work wonders. Often, when we overthink, our breath becomes shallow and quick. By practicing deep, mindful breathing, you can instantly calm your mind.

• Deep Breathing: Take slow, deep breaths into the bottom of your lungs, expanding your belly. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly exhale. Pause for a few seconds after the exhale and start again. This helps relax your nervous system.
• Alternate Nostril Breathing: This technique involves breathing through one nostril at a time and is great for bringing balance and focus.
• Ujjayi Breathing: This is a more controlled type of breathing where you slightly constrict the back of your throat as you inhale and exhale. It’s calming and helps you stay in the moment. KIt’s a bit like the action you use to gargle a glass of water, but much more gentle.

2. Focus on Gentle, Grounding Poses

If you’re just starting out and feeling overwhelmed, stick to simple, grounding poses that help you feel connected to the present moment. These poses are gentle but powerful in bringing awareness to your body and away from your thoughts.

• Child’s Pose (Balasana): A great pose to relax and center yourself. Kneel on the floor, stretch your arms forward, and let your forehead rest on the mat. Focus on your breath and let go of the mental chatter.
• Mountain Pose (Tadasana): It might look like you’re just standing, but this pose is about grounding and finding balance. Stand tall, press your feet into the floor, and pay attention to how your body feels in this stillness.
• Forward Fold (Uttanasana): This simple fold helps release tension and invites introspection. Let your head hang heavy and your thoughts fade as you focus on your breath. Bend your knees if the backs of your legs feel tight.
• Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani): This restorative pose is incredibly relaxing and helps quiet the mind. Simply lay on your back with your legs up against a wall, and focus on releasing tension with each breath.
• Corpse Pose (Savasana): At the end of any practice, lying still in Savasana allows you to fully relax. It’s an important part of any yoga routine to help you let go of everything.

3. Use a Mantra to Stay Focused

A lot of overthinking comes from mental loops we get stuck in. One trick to counter this is to repeat a simple mantra or affirmation during your practice. It can help redirect your mind from unhelpful thoughts.

Some examples could be:

• “I am here now.”
• “Let go now.”
• “I am ok.”

You can repeat these in your head while moving through poses or even when you’re just sitting still and focusing on your breath.

4. Practice with Mindfulness

Think of yoga as a form of moving meditation. As you move through each pose, try to stay connected to the sensations in your body and sync your movements with your breath. This mindfulness will keep your mind from wandering and help quiet the overthinking.

5. Keep it Consistent and Simple

You don’t need to start with an hour-long practice every day. Even just 10–15 minutes can be incredibly beneficial, especially when you’re just starting out. The key is consistency—doing a little bit every day will have a greater effect over time than doing a long session once a week.

6. End with Meditation

After your yoga practice, it’s a good idea to sit quietly for a few minutes in meditation. This doesn’t have to be complicated—just find a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on your breath or your mantra. This will deepen the sense of calm and help your mind fully settle.

Yoga Poses Suggested By Her

The Benefits of Yoga For Mental Health

Yoga offers profound benefits for mental well-being, especially for those prone to overthinking. Regular practice not only helps reduce stress but also improves focus and builds emotional resilience. By connecting the mind and body through movement and breathwork, yoga encourages mindfulness—a powerful tool to calm racing thoughts and manage anxiety.

As highlighted by the yoga experts, the combination of poses like Child’s Pose, Legs-Up-The-Wall, and breathing techniques such as Pranayama can create a space for stillness, making it easier for overthinkers to release mental clutter. These practices can be seamlessly integrated into daily routines, providing accessible and effective ways to manage stress. Whether it’s a quick five-minute breathing exercise or a 30-minute session of restorative poses, yoga meets you where you are, helping to foster calm and balance.

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Final Thoughts: Embark on Your Yoga Journey

Taking the first step toward using yoga to manage overthinking and stress can feel both exciting and empowering. Whether you’re a beginner looking to explore this ancient practice or an experienced practitioner aiming to deepen your journey, there’s always room to grow. Yoga is a lifelong practice that evolves with you, offering new insights and benefits at every stage.

The experts featured in this article have shared valuable techniques that can serve as a foundation for your mental wellness routine. From grounding poses to mindful breathing, these tools are accessible to everyone. If you’re curious to learn more, consider exploring their websites, joining their classes, or participating in their wellness programs. Yoga is practice, there is no final destination. It is an ongoing opportunity for self growth, exploration, where there is no pressure and no expectations, no right or wrong which can be very liberating for people that have tendency to overthink. Guided meditation might be the best option for beginners as the mind can be overly chatty in the beginning.