Thank you for attending the workshop: Design Your Own Home Yoga Practice.
Enjoy the free resource below for continuing your personal yoga journey. Workshop resource · Realized Wellness
Pose library by nervous system effect
This is not a prescription, but rather, it is a tool for building the foundation of your own unique practice. Each person will feel these poses differently, and each pose might feel different from day to day. Let this be an invitation to notice and explore.
Sympathetic activation · energy · alertness
These poses tend to build heat, increase heart rate, and sharpen focus. Notice: do you feel energized or anxious here? Both are information.
Sun salutation
Surya Namaskar
Rhythmic movement coordinates breath and body, builds warmth, and can create a moving-meditation state.
Modifications
Half salutations on the floor; chair-supported; remove low lunge if knees are tender.
Warrior II
Virabhadrasana II
Opens the side body, activates the legs, and cultivates a sense of groundedness with power.
Modifications
Shorten stance; use chair for balance; reduce bend depth.
Tree pose
Vrksasana
Balance poses require focused attention, naturally draws the mind inward. Great for practicing concentration.
Modifications
Foot at ankle or calf (never the knee); wall for support; both feet on floor.
Boat pose
Navasana
Core engagement creates internal heat and builds capacity, sometimes with productive discomfort.
Modifications
Hands behind knees; feet on floor; recline slightly further back.
Camel pose
Ustrasana
Heart-opening backbends can feel emotionally activating. Watch for intensity. This is a powerful one.
Modifications
Hands on lower back; blocks at feet; just a mild backbend from kneeling.
Plank
Phalakasana
Full-body isometric hold. Builds focus, endurance, and heat quickly.
Modifications
Knees down; forearm plank; shortened hold (5–10 breaths).
Parasympathetic settling · rest · restoration
These tend to slow the breath, soften the body, and quiet mental activity. Notice: does settling feel safe or uncomfortable? That's worth knowing.
Legs up the wall
Viparita Karani
Reverses blood flow and is deeply calming for the nervous system. Often the fastest route to rest.
Modifications
Legs on a chair; blanket under hips; bolster under knees; away from wall.
Supported child's pose
Balasana
The fetal position signals safety to the nervous system. Forward fold quiets sympathetic activity.
Modifications
Bolster under torso; rolled blanket behind knees; wide-knee variation for belly space.
Supine twist
Supta Matsyendrasana
Gentle spinal rotation with a long exhale helps "wring out" held tension in the body.
Modifications
Blanket between knees; block under top knee; reduce range of motion.
Seated forward fold
Paschimottanasana
Lengthens the back body. Forward fold posture invites introspection and quiet.
Modifications
Strap around feet; bolster on legs; bent knees; seated on a folded blanket.
Reclined bound angle
Supta Baddha Konasana
Opens hips and chest passively. It is deeply restorative when supported. Release without effort.
Modifications
Blocks or rolled blankets under thighs; bolster under spine; strap around feet and sacrum.
Savasana
Corpse pose
The hardest pose for many. Full integration. The body learns that it is safe to do nothing.
Modifications
Bolster under knees; blanket over body; eye pillow; seated or side-lying if lying flat isn't accessible.
The bridge zone · regulation · transition
These poses live in the middle. They help you move between states, or meet yourself wherever you are. Often the most useful for a home practice.
Cat-cow
Marjaryasana-Bitilasana
Breath-linked spinal movement is the fundamental regulating tool. Activates or settles depending on pace.
Modifications
Seated in chair; standing with hands on thighs; gentle range only.
Downward dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana
A partial inversion that transitions between energizing and resting. The body often decides which it needs.
Modifications
Bent knees; hands on blocks; wall dog (standing at 45° angle).
Low lunge
Anjaneyasana
Hip flexor stretch targets stored stress in the psoas, which can surface unexpected emotion. Go slowly.
Modifications
Blanket under back knee; hands on blocks; half-kneeling without the backbend.
Standing forward fold
Uttanasana
Increases blood flow to the head and quiets visual input. Activating or settling depending on the person.
Modifications
Bent knees; hands on blocks or thighs; ragdoll arms; hang as long as comfortable.
Pigeon / figure four
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
Deep hip external rotation. Hips store tension; this pose can be intensely releasing. Go slowly and stay a while.
Modifications
Supine figure-four (reclined); block under hip; bolster under torso.
Bridge pose
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Gentle backbend that engages the back body while remaining grounded. Dynamic = activating; held = settling.
Modifications
Block under sacrum for support; feet wider; smaller lift; single leg variation.
Breath practices · pranayama · the fastest tool
The breath is the only part of the autonomic nervous system we can consciously control. These practices are among the most powerful tools in a home practice.
Box breath
Sama Vritti
Equal-ratio breathing (inhale 4 · hold 4 · exhale 4 · hold 4). Regulates and moves you toward center from either extreme.
Start here
Count of 3 or 4; remove the holds; seated or lying; eyes closed if safe.
Extended exhale
Pratiloma
Exhaling longer than you inhale (e.g. 4 in · 8 out) directly activates the parasympathetic system. Very fast-acting.
Start here
Even a 1:2 ratio works; inhale naturally, just lengthen the exhale; no counting needed.
Alternate nostril
Nadi Shodhana
Balancing and clarifying. Often described as "resetting" the system. Good for anxiety, transition, and focus.
Start here
Visualize alternating sides rather than using the hand; slower pace; shorten the rounds.
Breath of fire
Kapalabhati
Rapid, rhythmic exhales, activating and energizing. Clears the mind, raises energy. Not for everyone.
Use caution with
High blood pressure, pregnancy, anxiety disorders, or dizziness. Slow it way down first.
Humming bee breath
Bhramari
Humming on the exhale stimulates the vagus nerve directly. Deeply soothing, underused and very effective.
Start here
Any pitch, any volume; no need to block the ears; even one round helps; great for sleep prep.
Physiological sigh
Double inhale + long exhale
The fastest way to reduce acute stress. Take two quick sniffs in through the nose, then a long slow exhale out the mouth.
Start here
One or two cycles is enough; accessible anywhere; a natural reset the body already knows.