7 yoga poses for stress relief that can regulate cortisol levels

Cortisol has become the wellness world’s favourite villain. It gets blamed for everything from poor sleep to stress, but the hormone itself is not something your body needs to eliminate. Produced by the adrenal glands, cortisol plays an essential role in regulating the stress response, metabolism, inflammation and blood pressure. The trouble begins when stress becomes less of a passing visitor and more of a permanent house guest.

This is where yoga poses for stress relief can help, although perhaps not in quite the way the internet would have you believe. “Yoga helps to maintain the stress response rather than lowering cortisol directly,” says Dr Narendra K Shetty, chief wellness officer at Kshemavana Naturopathy and Yoga Center.

A 2024 systematic review of 13 randomised controlled trials found that yoga may reduce perceived stress in the short term. An earlier analysis of 42 studies found yoga-based interventions were associated with reductions in waking and evening cortisol, but it might be more useful to think of yoga as a way of helping the body regulate its stress response than as an exercise in chasing a lower cortisol number.

Breathing is an important part of the equation. When slow breathing is paired with deliberate movement, it also gives an overstimulated mind something other than tomorrow’s deadline, unread messages and that conversation you’ve already replayed 17 times to focus on.

On a particularly difficult day, you do not necessarily need an hour-long practice. “A brief five-to-10-minute session comprising gentle stretches, mindful breathing, relaxation and a quiet environment interrupts the spiralling stress cycle and instantly leads to muscle relaxation and calmness,” says Simran Bhana, a certified yoga instructor from Kaivalyadhama and public relations professional. She adds that longer, consistent practice is where benefits to sleep, mood, flexibility and body awareness can begin to accumulate.

If five minutes is all you have, however, start there. These seven yoga poses for stress relief are the ones experts recommend:

Child’s pose (balasana)